y     .  - 

^     </>     "      ** 
MARINERS  COMPASS. 


PRACTICAL 

BOAT-SAILING: 

3  Concist  anti  Simple  2Trtatise 


ON 


THE   MANAGEMENT   OF    SMALL    BOATS   AND   YACHTS   UNDER 

ALL  CONDITIONS,  WITH    EXPLANATORY  CHAPTERS  ON 

ORDINARY   SEA-MANCEUVRES,    AND   THE    USE   OF 

SAILS,    HELM,    AND   ANCHOR,  AND   ADVICE 

AS  TO  WHAT  IS  PROPER  TO  BE  DONE 

IN     DIFFERENT     EMERGENCIES  ; 

SUPPLEMENTED    BV  A   SHORT 

VOCABULARY    OF   NAUTICAL    TERMS. 


BY 

DOUGLAS  FRAZAR, 

FORMERLY   FOURTH    OFFICER   OF  THE    STEAMSHIP   "ATLANTIC,1 

MASTER   OF  THE    BARK   "  MARYLAND,"   AND   COMMANDER 

OF    THE    YACHT    "  FENIMORE    COOPER"   IN    THE 

NORTHERN   SEAS   OF   CHINA  AND  JAPAN. 


BOSTON : 
LEE    AND    SHEFARD,   PUBLISHERS. 

NEW  YORK: 
CHARLES    T.    D1LLINGHAM. 


COPYRIGHT,  1879, 
BY   LEE  AND  SHEPARD. 


All  rights  reserved. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  little  work  is  not  written  to  teach  any  thing 
new  to  those  who  know  how  to  sail  boats  well  and 
safely,  but  only  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  any  per- 
son, after  a  perusal  of  its  pages,  to  feel  confident  of 
handling  a  boat  so  as  to  be  perfectly  safe,  and  to  have 
some  knowledge  of  the  rules  which  should  govern  its 
movements  under  ail  conditions  that  might  naturally 
arise.  This  sport  is  far  less  dangerous  than  is  sup- 
posed ;  and  it  may  even  be  asserted  that  no  kind  of 
amusement  is  safer  during  the  summer  months  in 
these  latitudes,  —  many  not  as  safe.  Some  one  has 
truly  said  "  that  the  boat  is  always  under  the  perfect 
control,  and  subject  to  the  will,  of  its  master;  whilst 
in  driving,  for  instance,  one  is  dependent  for  life  and 
limb  upon  the  forbearance,  good-temper,  and  training 
of  a  brute  whose  strength  is  greater  than  one's  own, 
and  whose  over-vaunted  intelligence  is  often  exceeded 
by  his  obstinacy." 

It  is  simply  wonderful  what  stress  of  wind  and  sea 
a  small  boat  will  sustain  with  perfect  safety  when 
properly  managed. 


4  Preface. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  following  pages  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  post  all  tyros  in  the  technique  of  the  science, 
and  enable  them  to  execute  all  the  manoeuvres  that 
are  needful,  and  to  know  the  names  and  uses  of  all 
the  important  ropes,  sails,  &c. ;  so  tJiat  they  will  not 
have  to  ask  anybody  any  questions,  and  be  able  to 
"paddle  their  own  canoe." 

If  the  author  has  succeeded  in  making  himself 
understood,  so  that  the  student  will  feel  competent 
to  take  charge  of  his  own  boat  or  yacht  with  confi- 
dence, he  will  be  amply  repaid. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  what  there  may  be  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion  amongst  yachtsmen  and  boatmen  as 
to  the  best  manner  of  executing  many  sea-evolutions. 
The  author  has  chosen  those  which  have  stood  the 
test  of  time,  and  are  comparatively  simple,  and  easy 
of  execution,  fitted  for  small  craft,  and  perfectly  safe. 

Several  useful  hints  have  been  gathered  by  an 
inspection  of  Bowditch's  "  Epitome "  and  Brady's 
"  Kedge- Anchor." 

MOTHER   GOOSE    (slightly  altered). 
"  Three  wise  men  of  Gotham 
Went  to  sea  in  a  bowl : 
If  their  wits  had  been  stronger, 
My  song  had  been  longer." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

The  Model,  Rig,  and  Names  of  the  Sails  and  Ropes  in  Com- 
mon Use 7 

CHAPTER   II. 

Ballast.  —  Useful  Knots.  —  To  anchor  in  a  Gale  of  Wind.  — 
Getting  the  Anchor,  and  Casting. — Anchoring  for  Fish- 
ing.—  Grounding  and  Floating.  —  Warping  by  Means  of 
an  Anchor.  —  To  make  a  Running  Moor  .  .  .  .17 

CHAPTER    III. 

The  Helm  and  Rudder.  —  Sheets.  —  The  Topping-Lift.— 
Springing  a  Leak  and  the  Use  of  the  Pump.  —  Sailing 
"close-hauled,"  "by  the  wind,"  or  "full  and  by."  —  To 
know  when  a  Yacht  is  as  near  the  Wind  as  she  will  lie. — 
Running  free.  —  Before  the  Wind,  or  Scudding.  —  To  ex- 
ecute a  Pilot's  Luff 35 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Tacking.  —  Beating  to  Windward. — A  Long  and  a  Short 
Leg.  —  How  to  put  a  Yacht  about. —  How  to  distinguish 
the  Starboard  Tack  from  the  Port  Tack.  — Jibing,  or  Wear- 
ing. —  Dropping  the  Peak.  —  To  beat  to  Windward  in  a 
Tide- Way.  —  To  take  in  a  Jib,  and  furl  it.  —  To  take  in  a 
Mainsail,  and  furl  it.  —  To  reef  a  Jib,  or  take  off  a  Bonnet. 
—  To  clap  one  Reef  in  a  Mainsail.  —  To  cast  out  a  Reef  .  50 

5 


6  Contents. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Signal-Lights.  —  The  United-States  Regulations  for  Steering 
and  Sailing,  and  the  Rules  of  the  Road.  —  Fog-Signals.  — 
Salutes.  —  Dipping  Colors.  —  Coming  alongside.  —  Quar- 
ter-deck Etiquette.  —  Useful  Articles  of  Cabin  Furniture. 
—  Anchor  Watch.  —  Method  and  System  versus  Disorder  .  64 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Cross-Bearings.  —  Two  Examples.  —  Table  of  Proportional 
Distances.  —  Table  for  Determining  the  Distance  that  an 
Object  at  Sea  can  be  seen  in  Statute  Miles.  —  Determining 
Distance  by  the  Flash  of  a  Gun.  —  To  find  the  Difference 
between  the  True  and  Apparent  Direction  of  the  Wind.  — 
To  find  the  Distance  of  an  Object  on  Shore  from  the 
Yacht,  by  two  Bearings  of  the  Compass.  —  Use  of  the 
Charts.  —  Soundings.  —  Lead  Line.  —  Eight  Bells,  and 
Watch  and  Watch.  —  Boxing  the  Compass.  —  Velocity  of 
the  Wind.  —  The  Log  Reel  and  Half-minute  Glass.  — 
Buoys  —  Man  Overboard 76 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Practical  Hints  on  Boat-Sailing 101 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop- Yacht,  illustrating  the  Common 
Sea-Manoeuvres 108 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms  commonly  in  Use    .        .        .        .124 


PRACTICAL    BOAT-SAILING. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   MODEL,  RIG,    AND   NAMES  OF  THE   SAILS   AND 
ROPES  IN   COMMON   USE. 

IT  would  be  beyond  the  province  or  scope  of 
this  work  to  enumerate  all  the  different  models  and 
peculiarities  of  the  numerous  crafts  and  rigs  that 
are  used  to  navigate  the  waters,  both  in  civilized 
and  uncivilized  countries ;  and  we  must  content 
ourselves  by  taking  into  consideration  a  few  of  the 
most  pronounced  types  that  are  now  in  vogue,  and 
explaining  their  principles  as  briefly  as  possible. 

Local  prejudices  rule  strong  in  all  parts  of  the 
world  ;  and  the  rig,  size,  and  model  of  a  boat, 
are  almost  always  defined  by  the  "  custom "  of 
the  waters  in  which  it  is  to  be  sailed  :  still  it  is 
perhaps  well  to  give  a  few  general  rules  for  the 
selection  of  a  boat.  For  bays,  sounds,  harbors, 
and  inland  tidal  waters  connected  with  the  sea,  the 

7 


8  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

boat  or  small  yacht  should  be  of  a  shoal  model, 
and  what  is  termed  the  centre-board  principle,  and 
usually  the  sloop  or  cat-boat  rig. 

For  ponds,  and  small  lakes  of  fresh  water,  the 
boat  should  always  be  of  good  beam,  light  draught, 
and  small  sail,  on  account  of  the  frequency  of  puffs 
of  winds  from  unexpected  quarters  from  the  neigh- 
boring hillsides.  In  fact,  if  there  is  any  danger  in 
sailing,  it  is  upon  these  land-locked  ponds  or  lakes, 
where  more  seamanship  is  often  needed  than  on 
the  larger  bays  and  sounds  of  the  ocean  itself. 

For  outside  work,  or  in  places  where  the  tidal 
currents  are  strong,  or  the  wind  may  sweep  across 
the  water  for  miles,  "  kicking  up  a  sea,"  the  deep 
keel  model,  with  schooner  or  cutter  rig,  will  be  the 
better  boat ;  this  class  being  considered  superior 
in  working  to  windward  in  a  heavy  sea  to  the 
shoaler  craft.  But,  even  on  this  question,  there  are 
disagreements  ;  and  you  shall  hear  of  those  who 
maintain  that  the  shoal-water  centre-board  craft  is 
the  better  boat  in  a  heavy  sea-way ;  and  some 
lovers  of  a  craft  called  a  "  sharpie  "  tell  startling 
tales  of  its  endurance  in  heavy  weather,  although  it 
is  the  shoalest  of  all  shoal  boats.  The  advantage 
of  the  centre-board  boat  over  the  keel  boat  for 
harbor  and  sound  sailing,  or  wherever  the  tide  rises 
and  falls  to  any  great  extent,  is  obvious.  With  the 
latter,  one  is  liable  to  be  brought  up  upon  an 
unknown  sand-bank  or  ledge,  and  compelled  to 


Mode/,  Rig,  anil  Names  of  Sai/s  a/it/  Ropes.      9 

remain,  sometimes  for  hours,  till  floated  off;  whilst 
with  the  centre-board,  upon  touching  any  clanger 
or  shoal,  the  board  is  hauled  up,  and  the  boat  that 
a  moment  before  drew,  perhaps,  six  feet  of  water, 
now  draws  but  one  foot,  allowing  one  to  "  go 
about,"  or  steer  to  one  side,  and  avoid  the  obstacle, 
and  get  home  in  time  for  supper.  In  short,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  writer,  it  is  only  for  outside  use,  and 
for  a  larger  class  of  vessels  than  this  book  will  treat 
of,  that  the  keel  boat  is  needed. 

To  avoid  repetition,  and  to  condense  as  much  as 
possible,  so  as  to  be  useful  to  all  for  practicable 
purposes,  what  is  termed  the  sloop-rig  —  one  quite 
as  frequently  used  as  any  other  for  small  boats  —  is 
presented  in  the  accompanying  diagram.  This  will 
be  described  as  briefly  as  possible  consistent  with 
a  thorough  explanation  of  the  sails,  ropes,  &c.,  and 
their  different  names  and  uses;  it  being,  of  course, 
understood  that  the  management  of  a  sloop  in  a 
seamanlike  manner  carries  with  it  the  knowledge  of 
managing  a  yacht  of  any  rig,  the  principle  applying 
equally  to  all ;  and  to  describe  the  "staying,"  "wear- 
ing," and  absolute  management  of  each  sail  and  rope 
of  each  separate  rig,  would  be  unnecessary,  and 
extend  this  little  work  to  a  greater  length  than  is 
desirable.  The  best  that  can  be  done  is  to  take 
a  type,  and,  having  made  that  familiar,  the  whole 
science  of  boat-sailing  will  have  been  acquired. 

The  sloop-rig  consists  of  the  following-named 
spars  :  — 


IO 


Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


The  mainmast  (c  c),  which  is  usually  placed 
at  about  two-thirds  of  the  'boat's  length  from  the 
stern.  This  spar  serves  to  sustain  the  mainsail  ( i ) 
by  a  series  of  hoops  which  encircle  it. 

The  main  topmast  (d  d),  which  is  fitted  to  the 
head  of  the  mainmast,  and  terminates  at  its  upper 


end  in  a  small  ball,  called  the  truck,  through  the 
sides  of  which  are  fitted  little  sheaves  (i.e.,  wheels), 
by  means  of  which,  and  the  use  of  a  small-sized 
rope,  called  signal-halliards,  the  flag,  or  private 
signal  of  the  boat,  is  hoisted  to  the  topmasfs  head, 
and  displayed. 

This  spar  also  serves  to  sustain  the  gaff-topsail 


Model,  Rig,  and  Names  of  Sails  and  Ropes.    \  i 

(3),  which  is  hoisted  and  lowered  along  its  length 
by  a  series  of  hoops  encircling  the  spar.  This  sail, 
as  a  rule,  is  set  and  furled  from  the  top. 

The  bowsprit  (h),  which  projects  from  the  bow 
of  the  boat,  and  serves  to  support  the  mainmast  by 
means  of  a  stay  (g  g)  leading  from  its  outer  end 
to  the  mainmast  head,  and  another  stay,  called 
the  bob  stay  (f),  to  the  prow  of  the  boat.  The  jib- 
stay  (g  g)  serves  to  hoist  and  set  they/$  (2)  upon, 
—  the  most  important  sail,  after  the  mainsail. 

The  jib-boom  (i),  which  extends  out  beyond 
the  bowsprit,  its  heel  being  made  fast  to  the  latter, 
and,  by  means  of  stays,  supports  the  mainmast  and 
maintopmast ;  and  upon  the  inner  one  of  these  is 
hoisted  and  set  the  outer  or  flying  jib  (4),  the 
other  (k)  supporting  the  maintopmast,  and  called 
the  maintopmast  stay. 

The  main-gaff  (e  e),  which  sustains  and  stretches 
the  head  of  the  mainsail,  which  is  securely  lashed 
to  it  by  means  of  small  seizings,  or  lashings. 

The  main-boom  (bb),  which  receives  and 
stretches  the  foot  of  the  mainsail,  to  which  it  is 
securely  lashed. 

The  above  constitute  the  main  spars  and  sails  of 
a  boat  of  the  sloop  rig. 

To  enable  one  to  understand  all  that  follows,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  acquire  a  little  more  informa- 
tion concerning  these  spars  and  sails,  and  the  names 
and  uses  of  the  principal  ropes,  sheets,  &c. 


12  Practical  Boat-Sailing, 

As  the  reader  faces  the  cut,  and  glances  at  the 
mainsail  (i),  he  should  remember  that  the  head 
of  the  sail  is  that  part  fastened  to  the  gaff;  and  the 
foot,  that  part  of  the  sail  fastened  to  the  boom.  The 
outer-leach,  or  after-leach,  that  part  of  the  sail 
which  extends  from  the  end  of  the  gaff  to  the  end 
of  the  boom  farthest  removed  from  the  mainmast. 
The  inner-leach,  or  luff,  is  that  part  of  the  sail 
which  extends  from  the  gaff  to  the  boom,  and  is 
confined  to  the  mainmast  by  hoops  that  embrace 
it,  and  allow  of  the  sail  being  hoisted  and  lowered 
at  will. 

The  clews  of  a  sail  are  those  parts  which  a  "  land- 
lubber "  might  call  corners ;  i.e.,  the  clews  of  the 
mainsail  are  four,  and  are  situated  at  the  junction 
of  the  ///^"and  head  of  the  sail,  the  outer- leach  and 
head  of  the  sail,  the  outer-leach  and  foot  of  the 
sail,  and  the  luff  and  foot  of  the  sail ;  the  latter 
being  also  called  the  tack. 

The  mainsail,  as  will  be  observed,  has  also  a 
series  of  regular  lines  crossing  its  surface.  These 
are  called  reef-points,  and  consist  of  short,  dangling 
pieces  of  small  rope,  sewed  into  the  sail,  and  hang- 
ing down  on  either  side,  long  enough,  when  the 
sail  is  lowered,  to  be  fastened  around  the  main- 
boom,  and  thus  tie  down  the  sail,  making  it  smaller 
for  rough  weather,  which  is  called  "  reefing."  On 
the  outer-leach,  at  the  end  of  these  rows  of  reef- 
points,  are  placed  little  iron  rings,  or  cringles,  as 


Model,  Rig,  and  Names  of  Sails  and  Ropes.    13 

they  are  called,  which  are  used  to  pass  a  rope 
through,  called  a  reef-pennant,  to  haul  the  sail  well 
out  on  to  the  boom  when  being  reefed.  The  rope 
(a  a)  represents  what  is  called  the  topping-lift,  and 
is  used  to  lower  or  hoist  the  .main-boom,  so  as  to 
make  the  sail  set  well  in  certain  circumstances  ;  or 
when  the  main-boom  is  out  over  the  water  on  one 
side  of  the  boat,  when  running  before  the  wind,  to 
"  top  it  up"  so  as  to  keep  it  out  of  the  water  when 
the  boat  rolls.  It  is  set  up  by  means  of  a  small 
pulley,  the  end  of  the  rope  coming  inboard  through 
a  sheave  in  the  boom,  or  one  fastened  to  its  side. 

The  jib  has  its  luff,  head,  foot,  and  after-leach, 
the  same  as  the  mainsail,  but,  of  course,  has  only 
three  clews,  being  a  triangular  sail. 

And  what  is  defined  about  these  sails  will  apply 
to  all  fore  and  aft  sails. 

The  most  important  ropes,  to  which  the  attention 
of  the  reader  is  called,  are  the  following :  — 

The  main  sheet  (1)  is  a  long  rope  fastened  to 
the  main-boom,  and  controlling  the  action  of  the 
mainsail.  According  to  the  size  of  the  boat,  this 
sheet  will  be  single,  or  rove  through  a  series  of 
blocks,  to  enable  the  helmsman  to  handle  the  sail. 
Upon  the  management  of  this  sheet  depends,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  safety  of  all  boat-sailing.  Its 
perfect  handling  and  adjustment  call  for  the  nicest 
skill ;  for  its  slightest  movement  changes  the  whole 
face  of  the  canvas  spread  in  the  mainsail. 


14  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

The  jib-sheets  (m)  are  fastened  to  the  after-r/<?7# 
of  the  jib  at  the  foot  of  the  sail,  and  are  led  aft  on 
both  sides  of  the  deck,  so  as  to  be  within  reach  of 
the  helmsman,  or  those  sitting  in  the  after-part 
of  the  boat.  Like  the  mainshcet,  they  are  used  to 
confine  and  trim  down  the///>,  each  being  used  on 
the  side  on  which  it  is  desired  to  trim  down  the 
sail. 

The  outer-jib  is  controlled  in  the  same  manner, 
by  two  sheets,  one  being  led  aft  on  either  side  of 
the  deck. 

The  mainsail  is  hoisted  by  means  of  two  sets  of 
ropes,  called  throat  and  peak  halliards  (n). 

These  are  fastened  at  the  foot  of  the  mast  to 
cleats  when  the  sail  is  hoisted ;  the  throat-hall- 
iards, usually  on  the  port-side  of  the  mast,  and 
the  peak-halliards,  on  the  starboard  side  of  the 
mast. 

N.B.  —  The  term  starboard  is  applied  to  any  thing  ap- 
pertaining to  the  right-hand  side  of  a  boat,  with  the  observer 
looking  towards  the  bow.  The  term  port  (formerly,  and 
sometimes  now,  called  larboard)  is  applied  to  any  thing 
appertaining  to  the  left-hand  side,  and,  thus  once  defined, 
never  changes. 

Although  the  observer  may  go  forward  and  look  aft,  the 
starboard  side  is  still  the  starboard  side,  although  now  on 
his  left  hand.  Hence  sailors  talk  of  the  starboard  anchor, 
the  port  shrouds ;  "  Ease  off  the  port  jib-sheet !  "  "  Let  go 
the  starboard  flying-jib-sheet ! "  "  Put  your  helm  over  to 
port!"  "Hoist  those  colors  from  the  starboard  side!" 
"  Let  the  boom  go  over  to  port !  "  "  Get  up  that  anchor 


Model,  /fig,  and  Names  of  Sails  and  Ropes.    15 

which  you  will  find  below  in  the  forecastle,  on  the  starboard 
side  !  "     "  Go  about  on  the  fort  tack  !  "  &c. 

The//#  (2)  is  hoisted  by  means  of  a  rope,  which 
is  called  the  jib-halliards,  which  is  made  fast  to 
the  upper  clew  of  the  sail,  and  led  through  a  block 
at  the  mainmast  head,  and  thence  to  the  deck, 
being  "belayed"  (i.e.,  made  fast)  to  the  mainmast 
near  the  deck.  This  sail  also  has  a  small  but  use- 
ful rope  attached  to  it,  called  the  down-haul,  which 
is  fastened  to  the  upper  clew,  and  led  down  to  a 
small  block  at  the  bowsprit  end,  and  thence  in  on 
deck ;  and  serves  to  haul  the  sail  down  after  the 
halliards  have  been  cast  off.  The  flying-jib  (4)  is 
fitted  with  halliards  and  down-haul  in  the  same 
manner. 

The  gaff- topsail  (3)  is  set  by  hauling  out  the  after- 
leach  3iV\<\foot  to  the  end  of  the  main-gaff,  which 
part  of  the  gaff  is  called  the  peak,  by  means  of  a 
rope,  which  is  named  the  gaff  topsail-sheet,  which 
reefs  through  a  sheave  in  the  gaff  end,  and  hence 
under  the^o^to  the  throat,  and  thence  through  a 
block  to  the  deck.  The  other  clew,  formed  by  the 
///^"and  foot,  is. stretched  by  means  of  a  rope  lead- 
ing to  the  deck,  called  the  tack;  and  the  sail  is 
hoisted  by  means  of  halliards,  that  reve  through  a 
block  fastened  at  the  topmast  head,  and  thence 
leading  to  the  deck. 

When  the  boat  is  under  way,  and  pressed  over  by 
the  wind,  the  terms  "  starboard  "  and  "  port  "  are 


1 6  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

often  exchanged  for  "leeward "  and  "windward," 
and,  in  fact,  are  the  more  commonly  used  in  many 
instances  ;  although  an  old  sailor  would  apply  the 
word  "starboard"  to  certain  things  that  he  would 
not  apply  the  word  "  leeward  "  or  "  windward  "  to  : 
but  these  exceptions  it  would  be  hard  to  point  out, 
and  they  would  be  of  little  material  use.  Let  it 
suffice  to  say,  that  as  a  rule,  when  a  boat  is  at 
anchor  or  upright,  the  terms  "  starboard "  and 
"  port "  are  used ;  whilst,  when  under  way,  the 
terms  "  lee  "  or  "  leeward,"  "  weather  "  or  "  wind- 
ward," are  more  commonly  used ;  for  instance, 
"  Let  go  the  weather  jib-sheet !  "  "  Haul  aft  the  lee 
xflying  jib-sheet !  "  "  Haul  that  coil  of  rope  over  to 
the  weather-side  (or  to  windward)  !  "  "Throw  that 
hot  water  to  leeward  !  "  "  Does  she  carry  a  weather- 
helm?"  &c. 


Ballast.  1 7 


CHAPTER   II. 

Ballast.  —  Useful  Knots.  —  To  anchor  in  a  Gale  of  Wind.  —  Get- 
ting the  Anchor,  and  Casting. —  Anchoring  for  Fishing. — 
Grounding  and  Floating.  —  Warping  by  Means  of  an  Anchor. 
—  To  make  a  Running  Moor. 

HAVING  learned  the  names  of  all  the  important 
spars,  sails,  and  ropes,  and  their  uses,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  study  the  other  appurtenances  of  a 
boat  to  acquire  a  thorough  knowledge  of  boat-sail- 
ing ;  and  for  that  purpose  we  will  pass  briefly  in 
review  the  following. 

BALLAST. 

Nearly  all  yachts  are  made  of  such  a  model  as  to 
need  some  heavy  material  placed  within  them  to 
enable  them  to  carry  sail,  and  stand  up  against  sud- 
den squalls  and  flaws  of  wind.  This  material  is 
called  ballast,  and,  as  a  self-evident  rule,  yachts  that 
are  shallow,  and  of  great  breadth  of  beam,  need 
less  than  those  of  a  deep  and  narrow  model. 

Many  articles  may  be  used  for  ballast,  and  a 
yacht  ballasted  in  many  different  ways ;  but  the 


1 8  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

following  named  are  those  that  are  most  commonly 
used.  Pig-iron,  in  pieces  that  can  be  handled,  is  a 
favorite  kind  of  ballast :  sometimes  each  piece  is 
painted,  so  as  to  preserve  it  from  rusting,  and  dis 
coloring  the  inside  of  the  boat.  Iron  in  the  form 
of  fifty-six-pound  weights  is  also  used ;  whilst  a 
cheaper  and  very  common  ballast  is  found  in  the 
small  clean  pebbles  of  the  seashore.  Water  con- 
tained in  movable  tanks  has  been  at  times,  with 
some,  a  well-praised  ballast ;  and  in  yachts  where  it 
can  be  used,  and  that  are  fitted  for  it,  it  is  of  great 
practical  value,  as,  like  no  other,  it  can  be  dis- 
charged and  renewed  by  means  of  a  pump,  accord- 
ing to  the  will  and  weather. 

The  slag  from  smelted  copper  and  iron  is  exten- 
sively used,  as  are  also  broken  pieces  of  iron-casting. 
But  perhaps  the  ballast  as  commonly  in  use  as  any 
other  in  medium-sized  yachts  and  small  boats,  or, 
at  least,  a  part  of  the  ballast,  consists  of  common 
sea-sand  enclosed  in  canvas  sacks  of  a  not  too 
unwieldy  size,  that  are  movable  about  the  bottom 
of  the  boat  by  means  of  canvas  handles,  and  can, 
in  emergency,  be  dumped  bodily  over  into  the  sea, 
thus  relieving  the  yacht  of  so  much  dead  weight. 

Nearly  all  yachts  that  are  ballasted,  when  filled 
with  water,  will  sink ;  and  there  have  been  many 
ingenious  ways  devised  to  prevent  this,  so  that, 
in  case  a  yacht  should  be  swamped,  i.e.,  com- 
pletely filled  with  water,  she  would  yet  float,  and 


Ballast.  1 9 

make  a  sort  of  life-preserver  to  the  occupants,  and 
not  go  to  the  bottom,  and  leave  them  struggling  on 
the  surface. 

A  very  ingenious  and  yet  cheap  way  of  obtaining 
this  result  is  to  have  built  into  the  wings  of  the 
yacht,  under  the  floorings,  and  in  every  conceivable 
place  that  is  out  of  the  way,  empty  tin  or  iron  six- 
pound  powder-canisters,  that  seal  hermetically,  suf- 
ficient in  number  to  overcome,  by  the  air  they  con- 
tain and  the  natural  buoyancy  of  the  wood  com- 
posing the  yacht,  the  weight  of  the  ballast,  or  the 
tendency  of  the  same  to  sink  the  yacht  when  filled 
with  water.  It  will  not  take  a  great  number  of 
these  canisters  in  quite  a  large  yacht  of  medium 
model ;  for,  although  the  yacht  will  sink  without 
them,  it  does  not  take  very  much  of  this  confined 
air  to  turn  the  scale,  and  make  it  float. 

Some  yachts  are  ballasted  with  lead ;  and  this, 
if  it  were  not  for  its  cost,  is  a  prime  ballast,  taking 
up  less  space  than  any  other.  And  some  care  not 
for  the  first  cost ;  for,  as  is  truly  said,  it  is  a  market- 
able article,  which  does  not  vary  much  in  price  : 
and,  even  if  it  should  cost  quite  a  sum  to  ballast 
one's  yacht  with  lead,  it  is  so  much  cash  on  hand, 
and  can  always  be  taken  out  and  sold  at  a  moment's 
notice.  Besides  the  different  kinds  of  ballast  that 
have  been  enumerated,  there  is  also  the  living  bal- 
last, that  is  to  say,  human  beings,  whom  one  can 
place  in  different  parts  of  the  yacht  to  trim  her 


20  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

in  different  situations.  But  this  kind  of  ballast  is 
mostly  used  in  racing,  and  even  then  is  sometimes 
apt  to  "get  out  of  order,"  and  not  "  work  well ;  " 
and  the  writer  would  advise  one  to  stick  to  iron, 
lead,  gravel,  or  sand  as  superior. 

Perhaps  for  bay  and  harbor  sailing  and  short 
cruises  from  port  to  port,  there  is  nothing  better 
than  the  canvas  bags  of  sand,  which  can  be  emp- 
tied, if  necessary,  when  one  gets  aground,  or  in  any 
other  case  of  emergency,  and  filled  again  at  the 
very  next  shore  upon  which  one  lands  in  the  little 
tender. 

As  a  rule,  sailing-boats  and  small  yachts  are 
"  trimmed  by  the  stern ; "  that  is,  the  bow  is 
slightly  elevated  from  the  water,  the  boat  being 
pressed,  by  the  position  of  its  ballast,  deeper  into 
the  water  at  the  stern  than  at  the  bow.  But  every 
yacht  is  a  law  to  itself;  and  no  rule  will  do  for  all. 
The  position  of  the  ballast  has  also  much  to  do  with 
the  steering  qualities,  as  well  as  affecting  speed  :  if 
it  be  placed  too  far  forward,  the  yacht  will  "  yaw," 
and  at  times,  before  the  wind,  be  almost  unmanage- 
able. In  "going  about,"  also,  if  the  ballast  be  too 
far  forward,  the  boat  will  often  "  miss  stays  ;  "  that 
is,  fail  to  perform  the  evolution  of  getting  upon  the 
other  tack. 

Misplaced  ballast  will  also  cause  the  yacht  to 
carry  the  helm  in  a  bad  position,  stopping  her 
speed.  Bringing  a  yacht  "by  the  head"  with  too 


Ballast.  2 1 

much  ballast  is  a  serious,  nay,  at  times,  a  dangerous 
fault.  Bringing  her  too  much  by  the  stern,  by  means 
of  ballast,  is  not  so  grave  a  matter  :  the  yacht  may 
lose  in  speed,  and  not  be  in  her  best  trim  ;  but  she 
is  not  as  dangerous  or  unmanageable.  It  is  always 
better  to  have  too  much  ballast  than  too  little.  It 
is  very  easy  to  ballast  a  boat  with  sand  or  pebbles 
before  one  starts  ;  but  they  cannot  be  obtained  after 
having  once  gotten  under  way ;  and  from  this  sim- 
ple cause  have  arisen  so  many  disasters  that  need 
never  have  occurred  !  One's  natural  pride,  and  the 
desire  to  sail  fast,  prevent  often  the  taking  on 
board  of  the  necessary  amount ;  and  then,  when  it 
suddenly  comes  on  to  blow,  the  yacht  is  found  to 
be  crank,  perhaps  dangerously  so.  How  much 
better  would  it  be  to  have  a  little  too  much  ballast, 
which,  when  homeward  bound,  —  if  there  is  need 
of  haste,  and  the  weather  be  settled,  —  can  be  dis- 
charged over  the  side,  increasing  her  speed  ! 

It  is  only  by  careful  study  that  one  can  ascertain 
just  the  amount  of  ballast  that  is  needed  ;  but,  once 
found,  do  not  change  it  for  light  or  heavy  weather, 
but  keep  it  intact,  and  you  and  your  boat  will  soon 
understand  each  other  much  better  than  will  be 
the  case  if  it  be  continually  changed.  A  happy 
medium  is  what  must  be  sought  for  in  the  question 
of  ballast ;  for,  of  course,  in  different  weathers  dif- 
ferent amounts  would  be  in  order.  But  be  advised, 
and  be  on  the  safe  side  :  have  plenty  of  ballast,  if 


22  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

the  speed  is  not  the  very  fastest  that  the  boat  is 
capable  of  making. 

Professional  boatmen,  lobstermen,  and  fishermen 
are  never  eternally  shifting  and  changing  their  bal- 
last :  having  found  the  "  happy  medium,"  they  let 
it  alone  for  the  season.  It  is  only  the  amateur  that 
is  continually  sailing  his  yacht  upon  her  "  beam- 
ends,"  or  watching  with  the  utmost  anxiety  the  fast 
approaching  squall,  for  which  the  professional  cares 
naught. 

KNOTS. 

We  cannot  get  along  on  board  of  a  yacht  without 
knowing  how  to  make  a  few  useful  knots. 

The  great  beauty  of  a  knot,  in  a  sailor's  estima- 
tion, is  not  only  to  hold  well,  but  to  be  easily  untiea 
or  cast  off  after  having  been  subjected  to  a  great 
strain.  Of  all  knots  the  bowline  is,  perhaps,  the 
king,  because  it  can  be  submitted  to  a  strain  that 
will  part  the  rope,  before  slipping  or  giving  in  the 
least  (and  this  holds  true  of  the  largest  hawser,  as 
well  as  the  smallest  line)  ;  and,  after  this  strain  is  re- 
moved, it  can  be  untied  as  easily  as  a  knot  in  one's 
summer  neck-tie.  It  can  be  very  quickly  made,  and 
is  useful  in  more  situations  than  any  other,  and 
can  be  used  to  replace  many  others.  It  is  used 
to  fasten  a  rope  in  a  hurry  to  the  ring  of  an  anchor, 
or  to  make  fast  the  painter  of  a  tender  through  a 
ring-bolt  securely  for  towing,  and  yet  so  as  to  be 
easily  cast  off;  fastening  sinkers  upon  fish-lines,  or 


Knots.  23 

the  end  of  any  rope  in  a  position  where  it  will  bear 
strain.  Flags  may  be  bent  on  with  this  knot,  al- 
though sailors  have  a  signal-halliard  knot,  as  they 
also  have  a  peculiar  bent  for  fastening  a  hawser  to 
an  anchor ;  but  no  knot  can  be  used  in  an  emer- 
gency, in  place  of  all  these,  like  the  bowline  ;  and, 
if  one  can  have  knowledge  of  but  a  few,  let  the 
bowline  be  the  first  acquired.  It  will  be  useful  also 
on  shore,  and  throughout  one's  life,  making  as  a 
matter  of  past  record,  to  be  eternally  sunk  in  obli- 
vion, those  awful  knots  that  never  would  come  un- 
done again.  Next  to  the  bowline  in  importance  is, 
perhaps,  the  bend  called  two  half-hitches,  or  the 
clove  hitch,  by  means  of  which  one  can  secure 
with  the  end  of  a  rope  almost  any  thing.  This 
hitch  is  called  two  half-hitches  when  it  is  made 
upon  its  own  standing  part,  and  a  clove  hitch  when 
made  around  any  other  thing,  such  as  a  spar ;  but 
both  are  the  same  in  principle. 

The  third  knot  that  must  be  acquired  is  what  is 
called  the  square  knot,  or  reef  knot,  and  is  used  in 
reefing  the  sails.  The  reef-points  being  tied  in 
square  knots  can  be  easily  untied  when  needed  : 
if  improperly  tied  in  a.  granny  knot,  they  either  jam 
or  fly  open  in  the  height  of  the  gale,  —  when  one 
desires  them  most  to  hold  on. 

With  these  three  knots  one  can  get  along  nicely, 
and  it  is  advisable  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  how  to 
make  them  without  delay. 


Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


TO    MAKE   A    ROW  I. INK    KNOT. 

Take  the  end  of  the  rope  in  your  right  hand,  and 
the  standing  part  in  your  left ;  lay  the  end  over  the 
standing  part ;    then  with  your  left 

hand  turn  the  bight  of  the  stand" 
ing  part  from  you,  and  over  the 

end  part,  by  a  peculiar  turn  of  the 
wrists,  which  comes  only  by  prac- 
tice, forming  what  is  called  a  goose- 
neck on  the  standing  part ;  then 
lead  the  end,  which  is  already  en- 
closed in  the  goose-neck,  under  and 
around  the  standing  part,  and  down 

through  the  same  goose-neck ;  and  haul  the  parts 

taut. 

TO    MAKE   TWO    HALF-HITCHES. 

Pass  the  end  of  the  rope  around  the  standing 
part,  and  up  through 
the  bight  (this  is  one 
half-hitch)  ;  pass  the 
end  again  around  the 
standing  part,  and  up 
through  its  own  bight, 
which  makes  the  sec- 
ond half -hitch,  and 
completes  the  knot. 
(See  diagram.)  Then, 
if  this  knot  is  used  to  bend  on  a  hawser  to  an 


To  make  a  Square  or  Reef  Knot.          25 

anchor,  it  is  customary  to  stop  the  end  of  the  rope 
down  upon  the  standing  part  by  means  of  a  rope- 
yarn,  so  as  to  prevent  all  chance  of  its  coming 
apart  whilst  chafing  about  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
A  clore  hitch  is  this  same  knot  made  around  a 
spar  or  other  article,  instead  of  on  its  own  standing 
part.  (See  diagram.) 

TO  MAKE  A  SQUARE  OR  REEF  KNOT. 

First  make  a  common  overhand  knot  around  a 
spar,  or  any  thing  that  may  suit ;  then  make  exactly 
the  same  knot  again,  taking  care  to  cross  the  ends 
so  that  they  will  each  come  out  on  the  same  side 
of  the  bight  as  they  did  in  the  first 
knot.  Jf  on  either  side  of  what  may 
be  called  the  right  or  left  side  of  the 
knot,  as  seen  in  the  cut,  the  ends  do 
not  come  out  in  the  same  relative  Xeef 
place  as  in  the  first  knot,  it  is  called  a  "granny 
knot,"  and  will  not  hold.  And  one  who  makes  a 
"  granny "  becomes  the  laughing-stock  of  all  on 
board,  and  is  at  once  pronounced  a  "land-lubber," 
if  he  cannot  make  this  simple  and  useful  knot  cor- 
rectly. So  be  advised,  and  learn  it  at  once. 

THE   ANCHOR   AND   GEAR. 

Nothing  on  board  the  yacht,  after  the  sails  and 
ropes,  should  receive  such  attention  as  the  "  ground 
tackle,"  as  it  is  called.  On  the  anchor  and  its  ap- 


26 


Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


purtenances  rests  the  safety,  often,  of  all  on  board  •, 
and  yet  there  is  nothing  so  often  neglected,  or  left 
carelessly  out  of  order,  or  the  cable  in  a  snarl,  as 
the  anchoring  gear  in  a  small  yacht. 

Every  yacht  over  twenty-five  feet  in  length  should 
be  fitted  with  three  anchors,  or,  at  the  very  least, 

two.  If  three  in 
number,  two  of 
them  should  be 
nearly  of  the  same 
size,  and  one  quite 
small  and  handy, 
which  is  called  the 
"  ke  d  g  e-a  n  c  h  o  r." 
We  will  suppose 
that  the  yacht  is 
fitted  with  three, 
and,  if  so,  their 
uses  will  be  as  here- 
inafter described. 

In  the  olden 
times  hemp  cables 
were  wholly  used, 
even  for  vessels  of 
large  size  and  men- 
of-war  ;  but  in  these 
latter  days  they  have  been  replaced  by  iron  cables 
in  large  ships,  and  by  manila  hawsers  in  small 
yachts.  To  be  sure  there  are  some  advantages 


CROWN 


The  Anchor  and  Gear.  27 

in  favor  of  a  chain-cable  for  even  small  yachts  : 
but  as  a  rule  the  pliable,  soft  but  strong  manila 
rope  is  the  favorite.  Small  iron  cables  are,  for  some 
reason  or  other,  distrusted  ;  and  they  are  also  heavy 
to  get  back  again,  even  if  of  small  size,  when  the 
yacht  is  anchored  in  many  fathoms  of  water.  They 
are  useful  when  the  yacht  is  likely  to  lie  at  an- 
chor in  a  sea-way  for  a  long  time,  for  then  they 
would  not  chafe ;  whilst  a  manila  cable  might  be- 
come seriously  injured.  Some  use  a  few  fathoms 
of  iron  chain,  and  then  manila  above  that,  so  as 
to  keep  the  end  near  the  anchor  from  fraying  on 
rocky  bottoms.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  then,  in  a 
long  piece  of  chain  cable,  that  the  one  imperfect 
link,  or  one  that  is  weak  in  any  way,  determines  the 
utmost  strength  of  the  cable.  In  other  words,  the 
strain  necessary  to  part  the  weakest  link  makes  the 
stronger  ones  useless.  Perhaps  it  is  the  fear  of  this 
weakness  lurking  in  some  unknown  link  that  deters 
yachtsmen,  as  a  class,  from  using  chain-cables,  and 
makes  them  prefer  the  clean,  handsome  manila  rope, 
that  they  know  is  just  as  strong  at  one  part  as  another 
throughout  its  entire  length. 

U'ire  cables  have  commenced  to  be  talked  of, 
made  in  the  same  shape  as  wire  rigging,  only  more 
pliable  ;  and  these,  perhaps,  will,  in  time,  come  into 
use,  as  they  are  of  uniform  strength,  and  take  up 
less  room  than  the  cumbersome  manila  rope  cables. 

If  the  anchors  are  stowed  below  deck,  always  get 


28  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

them  up,  and  bent  on  to  their  respective  cables, 
long  before  the  time  when  it  becomes  necessary  to 
use  them.  One  never  knows,  near  a  coast-line, 
when  an  anchor  may  be  needed. 

Always  have  good  long  cables,  and  not  nasty 
little  pieces  of  short  rope  :  on  this  depends  often 
the  safety  of  all  concerned.  Every  thing  else  being 
equal,  the  length  of  the  cables  is  what  will  deter- 
mine, in  a  gale  of  wind,  whether  the  yacht  goes  on 
shore  a  wreck,  or  gallantly  and  safely  weathers  the 
storm. 

TO   ANCHOR    IN    A    GALE   OF   WIND. 

If  caught  in  a  gale  of  wind  on  a  lee-shore,  and 
with  no  chance  of  escape,  —  the  sea  being  too 
heavy  to  "claw  off"  to  windward,  and  no  harbor 
to  leeward,  —  the  only  safety  is  to  anchor ;  and 
always  do  this  before  it  is  too  late,  and  before  the 
yacht  has  been  driven  too  near  the  shore  or  break- 
ers to  lie  quietly.  Procrastination  at  such  a  time 
is  often  highly  dangerous ;  and  a  yacht  may  go 
ashore  because  she  is  anchored  in  a  line  of  heavy 
breakers,  when  just  outside  she  would  lie  almost 
with  ease. 

It  will  be  found,  also,  that  it  always  takes  longer 
to  get  an  anchor  down  than  was  estimated,  and 
whilst  it  is  being  done  the  yacht  sets  heavily  in 
towards  the  shore  with  each  sea  :  therefore  anchor 
early.  When  every  thing  is  ready,  bring  the  yacht 
to  the  wind,  and  let  the  sails  shake  in  the  wind's 


To  Anchor  in  a   Gale  of  Wind.  29 

eye ;  and,  so  soon  as  she  gets  stem-way,  let 
go  the  best  bower  anchor,  taking  care  not  to  snub 
her  too  quickly,  but  to  let  considerable  of  the  cable 
run  out  before  checking  her ;  then  take  a  turn  or 
two  around  the  knight-heads,  long  before  there  is 
any  strain,  and  be  ready  to  give  her  cable  gradually 
he  needs  it.  One  must  be  very  careful  to  get 
this  'turn  around  the  knight-heads  long  before 
there  is  any  strain  ;  for  the  strength  of  the  yacht 
drifting  before  the  gale  will  be  under-estimated, 
except  by  a  sailor;  and  if  one  has  neglected  to 
take  the  necessary  turn  in  time,  and  a  strain  once 
commences  upon  the  cable,  it  will  then  be  too  late, 
and  the  mortification  will  be  experienced  of  seeing 
the  whole  cable  go  overboard,  unless  the  yacht  be 
brought  up  by  its  being  fastened  below ;  and  even 
then  the  chances  are,  that  it  will  be  snapped 
asunder  by  the  momentum  that  the  drifting  yacht 
has  acquired. 

Just  so  soon  as  the  first  anchor  bites,  and  the 
yacht  seems  to  come  head  to  wind,  and  hold,  let  go 
the  second  anchor,  and  pay  out  plenty  of  cable  on 
both,  keeping  the  strain  as  nearly  equal  on  each  as 
possible.  In  grave  circumstances  like  these  of 
anchoring  in  a  gale  of  wind  on  a  lee-shore,  it  is 
always  well  to  put  down  both  anchors.  Too  often 
one  anchor  is  used,  because  the  weather  does 
not  look  very  bad,  and,  as  it  increases,  the  cable  is 
paid  out  upon  ;  and  when,  at  last,  it  is  ascertained 


30  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

that  the  gale  has  increased,  and  another  anchor  is 
needed,  it  is  found,  after  it  is  cast,  that  the  cable 
cannot  be  paid  out  upon  it,  because  the  end  of 
the  cable  of  the  first  anchor  is  close  at  hand,  and 
has  been  nearly  all  paid  out,  making  the  second 
anchor  useless.  Always  let  go  both  anchors,  one 
shortly  after  the  other ;  and  if  the  weather  be  very 
bad  indeed,  then,  when  about  half  the  cable  is  paid 
out  on  the  second  anchor,  lash  to  the  cable  the 


small  kedge-anchor,  by  fastening  it  by  small  ropes, 
passed  around  the  shank  and  through  the  ring,  to 
the  cable  of  the  large  anchor,  and  cast  it  over  the 
bows.  This  is  called  "backing  an  anchor"  (see 
diagram),  and  strengthens  the  hold  of  the  first 
anchor  in  a  marked  degree,  especially  if  the  hold- 
ing-ground be  poor.  It  is  supposed,  of  course, 
that,  as  the  yacht  comes  head  to  wind,  the  jib  is 
hauled  down  ;  and  now  the  next  thing  is  to  down 


To  Anchor  in  a   Gale  of  Wind.  31 

mainsail,  and  furl  every  thing  snug.  If  the  yacht 
holds  well,  keep  part  of  the  cables  still  on  board, 
to  pay  out,  if  necessary ;  and,  to  be  sure  that  she  is 
not  dragging,  cast  a  hand-lead  over  the  side,  and 
let  it  rest  on  the  bottom.  Make  it  fast,  leaving 
enough  slack  so  that  the  yacht  may  sheer  without 
moving  it.  By  trying  this  once  in  a  while,  it  will 
be  instantly  seen,  from  its  relative  position  between 
the  yacht  and  the  bottom,  whether  the  vessel  has 
dragged.  For  instance,  if  the  lead-line  should  be 
left  up  and  down,  and  the  next  time  it  was  tested 
should  be  found  resting  on  the  bottom,  toward  the 
bow  of  the  yacht,  she  would  have  dragged  just  that 
distance,  and  needs  more  cable  at  once.  It  is  well 
always  to  give  a  good  scope  in  such  emergencies, 
and  allow  the  anchors  to  become  embedded  at  a 
good  angle,  and  not  be  played  with  by  just  holding, 
and  then  dragging  a  little,  and  then  paying  out  a 
little  :  that  is  dangerous  sport.  After  all  is  furled 
snug,  nothing  else  can  be  done  for  safety,  except 
in  case  of  extreme  emergency,  when,  as  a  last  re- 
course, the  mainmast  may  be  cut  away  if  the  yacht 
is  dragging  on  shore.  But  with  two  good  anchors 
down  in,  say,  six  fathoms  of  water,  and  one  of 
those  backed,  and  forty  or  fifty  fathoms  of  cable 
out,  it  will  take  a  terrific  sea  and  wind  to  make  a 
yacht  budge  an  inch. 


32  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

GETTING   THE   ANCHOR,    AND    CASTING. 

Hoist  the  mainsail,  and  take  the  gaskets  off  the 

jib,  and  see  that  the  downhaul  is  cast  off,  and  is 

clear  for  hoisting ;  then  heave  away  on  the  cable, 

either  by  hand,  or  by  windlass,  if  the  yacht  be  large 

enough   to   need   one,    till  the  an- 

Ichor   is   almost   broken  out  of  the 
ground,  or  what  sailors  call,  the  cable, 
"  up  and  down  ;  "  then,  by  means 
of  the  rudder,  if  in  a  tide-way,  cast 
the  head  of  the  yacht  in  the  direc- 
tion  you   wish    to    proceed   upon ; 
trip  the  anchor ;  and  run  up  the  jib 
as  soon  as  it  will  draw.     If  there  is 
no  tide-way  to  act  upon  the  rudder, 
then,  before   breaking   out   the  an- 
chor,  hoist   the  jib;    and,    if  it   is 
desired  to  cast  the  boat  upon  the 
port-tack,  trim  down  the  jib-sheet  to 
port,  and  shove  the  main-boom  well 
'  out  over  the  starboard  quarter,  and, 
when  the  boat  has -a  good  sheer,  trip  the  anchor; 
and,  when  she  has  paid  off  enough,  let  go  the  port 
jib-sheet,   and  trim  down  on  the  starboard-sheet, 
and  haul  aft  the  main-boom,  and  proceed  on  your 
way. 


Anchoring  for  Fishing.  33 

ANCHORING   FOR    FISHING. 

It  is  often  needful  to  drop  an  anchor  so  as  just 
to  hold  the  yacht  stationary  for  a  short  time  in 
some  known  place,  for  the  purpose  of  fishing ;  and 
these  places  are  almost  always  ledges  of  rock,  which 
foul  and  entangle  the  anchor,  and  it  is  often  diffi- 
cult to  weigh  it  again.  To  avoid  this  (if  there  is 
not  too  much  wind,  and  the  yacht  will  lie  easily), 
instead  of  making  the  cable  fast  to  the  ring  of  the 
anchor,  make  it  fast  with  a  clove  hitch  around  both 
arms  at  the  crown,  and  lead  it  along  the  shank  of 
the  anchor  to  the,  ring,  to  which  attach  it  by  means 
of  a  small  piece  of  spun  yarn  or  twine  that  will 
hold  some  strain,  but  which  can  be  broken  in  case 
of  necessity.  Then,  when  it  is  desired  to  get  under 
way  again,  and  the  anchor  is  found  to  be  fouled, 
bring  enough  strain,  by  means  of  the  windlass  or 
otherwise,  upon  the  cable  to  part  the  twine  at  the 
ring ;  when  the  strain  will  come  directly  upon  the 
crown  and  flukes,  and  the  anchor  will  almost 
always  be  cleared.  If  it  should  not  be,  pay  out 
plenty  of  cable,  and  sail  around  or  beyond  it,  and 
all  at  once  it  will  be  found  that  it  is  cleared,  and 
can  be  weighed.  In  anchoring  in  this  manner,  it 
is  not,  in  light  weather,  necessary  to  lower  the 
mainsail,  but  simply  to  trim  down  the  main-sheet 
flat,  or  place  the  boom  in  a  crotch  made  for  that 
purpose.  The  jib  can  be  lowered ;  and  hoisted 
again  when  under  way. 


34  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

GROUNDING   AND    FLOATING. 

If  the  yacht  takes  the  ground  on  any  shoal,  and 
is  left  by  the  tide,  it  is  always  proper  to  get  out  an 
anchor  in  the  direction  of  the  wind,  before  the  tide 
returns ;  then,  when  the  water  begins  to  make,  the 
yacht  will  not  be  blown  higher  and  higher  upon  the 
shoal  as  she  commences  to  float,  but  will  be  held 
by  her  anchor,  and  soon  ride  head  to  wind  or  tide. 

WARPING  BY  MEANS  OF  AN  ANCHOR. 

There  are  times  when  it  is  desirable  to  get  a 
yacht  into  a  certain  position,  and  there  is  no  wind. 
To  do  this,  run  out  a  light  anchor  to  the  spot  you 
desire  to  reach,  by  means  of  a  small  tender  ;  cast  it 
overboard  ;  and  warp  the  yacht  up  to  it :  repeat  this 
till  the  desired  position  is  reached. 

A    RUNNING    MOOR 

Is  sometimes  made  by  casting  an  anchor,  with 
plenty  of  scope  of  cable,  whilst  a  yacht  is  running 
free,  or  before  the  wind,  and  bringing  her  with  a 
long  sweep,  up  to  and  heading  the  wind,  when  an- 
other anchor  is  let  go  also,  and  part  of  the  cable 
of  the  first  anchor  hauled  in  so  that  she  will  lie  to 
one  anchor  on  the  flood-tide,  and  the  other  on  the 
ebb-tide. 


The  Helm  and  Rudder.  35 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Helm  and  Rudder.  —  Sheets.  —  The  Topping-Lift.  — Spring- 
ing a  Leak  and  the  Use  of  the  Pump.  —  Sailing  "  close-hauled," 
"by  the  wind,"  or  "full  and  by."  —  To  know  when  a  Yacht  is 
as  near  the  Wind  as  she  will  lie.  —  Running  free.  —  Before  tht. 
Wind,  or  Scudding.  —  To  execute  a  Pilot's  Luff. 

THE   HELM   AND   RUDDER 

Control  the  movement  of  the  yacht  through  the 
water,  and  serve  to  direct  her  course. 

The  rudder  may  be  described  as  pieces  of  boards 
or  planks,  in  a  line  with  the  keel,  hung  upon  pivots 
at  the  stern  of  a  vessel,  in  an 
upright  position,  and  extend- 
ing from  the  keel  to  the  rail, 
and  having  an  attachment, 
called  a  tiller  or  wheel,  to 
move  it  in  either  direction, 

7tu<Zclcr#  TiUer- 

to  the  right  or  left,  across  the 

line  of  the  keel  of  the  yacht.     (See  diagram.) 

The  tiller,  which  passes  through  the  rudder-head, 
is  moved  to  the  right  or  left ;  and  this  is  termed 
"  moving  the  helm."  For  instance,  "  Move  the 
helm  over  to  starboard,"  "Put  the  helm  to  star- 


36  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

board,"  that  is  to  say,  push  the  tiller  over  towards 
the  starboard  side  of  the  yacht,  which  will  carry 
the  rudder  to  the  port  side  of  the  yacht,  and,  if 
tinder  way,  the  bow  will  change  direction  towards 
the  left.  In  other  words,  when  a  vessel  is  under 
way,  and  going  ahead  by  her  own  momentum,  or 
anchored  in  a  tide-way,  the  following  rule  always 
holds  good  :  — 

To  starboard  the  helm  carries  the  head  to  port. 

To  port  the  helm  carries  the  head  to  starboard. 
See  diagrams,  Figs,  i  and  2,  page  37. 

This  is  all  reversed  at  a  critical  point  in  seaman- 
ship, which  should  be  carefully  remembered  ;  and 
that  is  when  a  yacht  has  what  is  called  a  stern-board, 
i.e.,  has  received  some  force  which  is  making  her 
go  through  the  water  stern  first.  This  often  hap- 
pens when  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  tack,  and 
the  execution  of  the  manoeuvre  has  seemed  to  fail : 
it  is  then  for  a  moment  or  two  that  the  yacht  will 
often  drift  astern,  keeping  in  the  wind's  eye,  mak- 
ing it  uncertain  whether  or  not  she  will  yet  "go 
about."  It  is  at  this  moment,  whilst  she  is  making 
this  stern-board,  that  a  knowledge  of  the  helm  will 
yet  put  her  about  by  shifting  the  helm  hard  over 
to  the  opposite  side  from  where  it  was  when  the 
attempt  was  made  to  go  about.  Remember  not  to 
move  the  helm  till  the  yacht  has  commenced  mak- 
ing stern-way,  then  this  law  applies  :  — 

To  starboard  the  helm  carries  the  head  to  star- 
board. 


The  Helm  and  Rudder. 


37 


To  port  the  helm  carries  the  head  to  port. 
For  instance,  if  it  were  desired  to  go  about  by 
bringing  the  helm  over  to  the  starboard  side  of  the 
yacht,  and  the  manoeuvre 
should  fail,  after  the  yacht 
has  come  head  to  wind, 
and   commenced   to    get 
stern-way,  it  might  yet  be 
consummated  by  shifting 
the  helm,   or   tiller,  over 
to  port,  which  would  have 
exactly  the  same  effect  as 
it  formerly  had  when  the  yacht  was  advancing,  and 
the  helm  hard  a  starboard. 

A  yacht  should  be  perfectly  enough  balanced 
witli  sails  and  ballast  to  carry  a  nearly  even  helm 
when  on  the  wind  :  but  it  is  often  the  case  that 
they  carry  what  is  called  a  lee-helm  ;  that  is  to  say, 
when  the  yacht  is  on  a  wind,  the  tiller  is  continu- 
ally poked  down  to  leeward,  or  the  opposite  side 
of  the  yacht  from  the  wind,  to  keep  her  up  to 
her  course,  from  which  a  tendency  to  fall  off  is 
shown  :  this  is  usually  caused  by  too  much  head- 
sail,  and  may  be  remedied  by  a  shorter  bowsprit,  a 
smaller  jib,  or  another  cloth  on  the  after- leach  of 
the  mainsail. 

To  carry  a  lee-helm  is  a  "beastly  thing,"  as  an 
Englishman  would  say,  and  something  that  cannot 
long  be  endured  by  those  who  truly  like  yachting. 


38  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

If  the  yacht  is  free  from  the  odious  lee-helm,  she 
may  carry  a  -weather-helm,  which  is  not  as  bad  as  a 
lee-helm,  but  is  troublesome.  This  causes  the  yacht 
to  have  a  tendency  to  "luff  up  into  the  wind,"  and 
causes  the  tiller  to  be  carried  hard  over  on  the 
weather-side  of  the  yacht,  and  is  usually  occasioned 
by  too  much  after-sail,  or  bad  storage  of  ballast. 
Both  these  habits  of  carrying  a  lee,  or  weather  helm, 
are  detrimental  to  speed,  as  in  both  positions  the 
rudder  is  often  held  at  nearly  a  right  angle  to  the 
keel,  decreasing  the  speed  materially.  A  yacht 
that  is  well  balanced  in  sails  and  ballast  will,  on  a 
wind,  habitually  carry  the  tiller  a  point  or  two  to 
windward  of  the  line  of  the  keel,  and  it  will  need 
but  little  movement  in  any  direction  to  keep  her 
on  her  course.  Sometimes,  in  sudden  squalls,  a 
yacht  that  carries  a  weather-helm  will  luff  up  into 
the  wind  in  spite  of  the  helm,  so  as  not  to  be 
stopped  except  by  slacking  off  the  main-sheet.  The 
same  may  occur  in  yawing  with  a  yacht  that  carries 
a  lee-helm.  The  helm  may  be  put  hard  down,  and 
sometimes  the  jib-sheet  will  have  to  be  eased  off, 
before  the  yacht  will  come  to  the  wind.  A  weather- 
helm  is  endurable,  but  a  lee-helm  never,  —  "  Well, 
hardly  ever" 

SHEETS. 

Sheets  are  the  ropes  that  confine  the  mainsail 
and  jib  in  place,  and  are  most  important  in  their 
uses.  The  jib-sheets  lead  along  the  deck,  aft,  to 


The  Topping-Lift.  39 

the  standing-room,  in  most  yachts,  and  in  heavy 
weather  should  not  be  belayed  so  but  what  they 
can  be  cast  off  in  an  instant  by  a  sudden  jerk  of 
the  hand.  They  may  be  held  in  place  by  a  sort  of 
hitch,  hard  to  describe,  where  one  part  jams  the 
other,  and  keeps  it  in  place.  Any  boatman  will 
explain  how  it  is  made.  The  main-sheet  makes 
fast,  usually,  at  or  near  the  helmsman,  under  whose 
charge  it  is ;  and  in  hcaiy  weather  this  should 
not  be  made  fast  at  all,  but  only  one  turn  taken, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  strain  rest  upon  the  hand. 
Of  course,  in  yachts  over  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  length, 
with  crews,  every  thing  can  be  made  fast :  but  \ve 
are  now  writing  of  smaller  craft,  and  it  is  repeated, 
in  squally  and  dirty  weather  never  make  fast  the 
main-sheet;  it  is  the  key  to  the  whole  science  of 
boat-sailing,  and  should  never  be  out  of  one's  hand 
in  time  of  emergency.  It  can,  after  taking  one 
turn,  be  wound  around  the  tiller,  and  brought  to 
the  same  hand  as  the  one  that  is  moving  the  helm, 
and  yet  be  instantly  cast  off,  if  necessary. 

THE   TOPP1NG-L1FF. 

This  useful  rope  holds  up  the  main-boom,  and 
its  length  is  regulated  by  a  pulley.  In  scudding 
before  the  wind  it  is  very  useful ;  for,  by  means  of 
the  pulley,  the  end  of  the  boom  can  be  "  topped 
up,"  so  as  to  be  kept  out  of  the  water  when  the 
yacht  rolls  heavily.  It  is  also  useful  in  making  the 


40  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

mainsail  set  well ;  and,  after  the  latter  is  hoisted,  it 
can  be  made  to  set  flat  as  a  board  by  slacking  the 
topping-lift  so  that  the  after-leach  of  the  sail  will 
wholly  sustain  the  outer  end  of  the  main-boom. 

SPRINGING   A    LEAK,    AND   THE   USE    OK   THE    PUMP. 

The  pump  should  always  be  kept  in  good  order, 
and  ready  for  immediate  use.  In  case  the  yacht 
springs  a  leak,  the  best  way  to  stop  it  is  to  pass 
a  light  sail  over  the  bows,  and  bring  it  aft  over 
the  leak  by  means  of  ropes  on  both  sides  of  the 
yacht.  Leaks  are  more  easily  stopped  on  the 
outside,  the  pressure  of  the  water  forcing  the  can- 
vas into  the  damaged  part ;  and  even  light  canvas 
is  almost  water-proof.  Of  course,  after  once  having 
thus  temporarily  stopped  a  leak,  it  is  scarcely  neces- 
sary to  add  that  one  should  seek  shelter  in  the 
nearest  port,  and  have  the  yacht  perfectly  repaired 
before  proceeding  farther ;  for  there  is  nothing 
more  deceptive,  or  dangerous  even,  than  a  small 
leak,  which  is  almost  always  sure  to  open,  and  be- 
come a  source  of  great  anxiety,  just  so  soon  as  the 
sea  begins  to  get  up  and  the  wind  to  blow,  —  at  the 
very  moment,  in  other  words,  when  the  yacht  needs 
all  possible  care  and  attention  in  other  directions, 
to  insure  her  safety.  Never  neglect  a  small  leak, 
but  have  it  attended  to  and  repaired  at  once. 

Examine  the  well  of  the  yacht  often,  and  ascer- 
tain by  personal  inspection  that  she  is  not  making 


Close-Hauled.  41 

water  faster  than  is  usual,  and  especially  have  this 
attended  to  during  rough  weather.  If  a  leak  is 
discovered,  the  yacht  should,  if  possible,  be  put 
before  the  wind  till  it  is  secured;  for  she  will  re- 
ceive less  strain  to  hull  and  spars  in  this  position 
than  in  any  other. 

CLOSE-HAULED. 

A  yacht  is  said  to  be  close-hauled,  or  sailing 
"full  and  by"  when  she  is  brought  as  near  to  the 
wind  as  is  possible,  so  as  to  advance  through  the 
water ;  for  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  it  is  understood, 
that  if  the  main-boom  were  brought  so  as  to  pass 
directly  over  the  line  of  the  keel  of  the  yacht,  and 
the  head  of  the  yacht  brought  as  near  the  wind  as 
possible,  and  the  sail  to  remain  full,  and  not  shake, 
she  would  not  advance,  but  would  simply  be 
pushed  to  leeward  by  the  wind.  To  insure  her 
advancing,  the  boom  must  be  at  some  angle  from 
the  line  of  the  keel :  therefore  it  may  be  taken  as 
a  rule  that  the  main-boom,  in  sailing,  is  always  kept 
out  over  the  quarter,  on  one  side  or  the  other ;  and 
close-hauled  simply  means  that  it  is  brought  as  far 
inboard,  or  towards  the  line  of  the  keel,  by  means 
of  the  main-sheet,  as  experience  has  proved  can 
be  done,  and  have  her  advance  through  the  water. 
Some  yachts  haul  aft  the  main-boom  closer  than 
others,  being  enabled  to  do  so  on  account  of  their 
build  and  model ;  and  the  closer  the  boom  can 


42  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

be  brought  to  the  line  of  the  keel,  and  the  yacht 
still  kept  advancing,  the  nearer  the  wind  she  will  be 
said  to  sail,  and  will  "  hold  a  good  wind,"  as  it  is 
called.  And  this  is,  of  course,  a  desideratum  in 
beating  to  windward,  or  against  the  wind  at  an 
angle  to  it ;  for  the  yacht  that  makes  the  angle 
least  between  itself  and  the  direction  of  the  wind 
will,  other  things  being  equal,  arrive  the  quickest 
at  its  destination  ;  whilst  another,  that  cannot  lie  so 
nigh  the  wind,  will  have  to  pass  over  much  more 
water  to  arrive  at  the  same  place.  On  general 
principles,  all  fore-and-aft  vessels  lie  equally  near 
the  wind,  usually  within  four  points  and  a  half; 
but  there  are  craft,  that  from  their  model,  and 
equal  balance  of  sail,  or  some  other  unknown 
cause,  will  lie  nearer  than  their  neighbors,  and  seem 
to  eat  up  into  the  wind. 

Just  how  far  to  have  the  main-boom  over  the 
side  of  the  yacht,  in  sailing  close-hauled,  has  never 
been  settled ;  for  it  resolves  itself  to  this.  If  the 
boom  is  hauled  further  inboard,  the  yacht  sails 
nearer  to  the  wind,  but  in  an  increased  ratio  loses 
its  speed  ;  for,  if  it  should  be  hauled  completely  in 
till  in  a  line  with  the  keel,  the  yacht  would  stop,  as 
has  been  explained  :  whilst,  the  farther  out  over  the 
side  it  is  allowed  to  go,  the  faster  the  yacht  sails, 
but  the  farther  also  from  the  wind  and  the  direc- 
tion that  it  is  desired  to  proceed  in  to  windward. 
Hence  a  happy  medium  must  be  decided  upon ; 


Closc-Hanlcd.  43 

and  there  is  no  doubt  but  what  the  result  of  most 
races  has  depended  more  upon  the  use  of  the  main 
sheet,  when  close-hauled,  or  beating  to  windward, 
than  upon  any  other  cause.  Just  how  flat  to  trim 
the  sheets  can  only  be  acquired  by  experience ;  but 
the  following  general  rules  will  apply  :  — 

As  a  general  principle,  the  sheets  can  be  trimmed 
flatter,  or  farther  aft,  in  light  weather  and  a  smooth 
sea,  than  in  heavy  weather  and  a  head  sea.  In 
fact,  it  is  impossible  to  sail  as  near  the  wind  in 
lumpy  water  as  in  smooth  water.  After  a  yacht 
has  been  reefed,  also,  she  will  not  lie  as  near  the 
wind  as  before,  for  the  same  reasons  that  compelled 
the  reefing. 

With  old  hands,  the  yacht,  when  close-hauled, 
is  allowed  to,  what  sailors  call,  "go  through  the 
water,"  rather  than  to  point  up  almost  into  the 
wind's  eye,  and  keep  bobbing  up  and  down,  and 
advancing  very  little.  In  most  yachts  it  will  be 
found  by  experiment  that  the  main-boom  should 
be  at  about  the  angle  shown  in  the  figure  in  the 
diagram  on  p.  46,  marked  "close  hauled;"  but 
others  may  be,  perhaps,  hauled  slightly  more  in- 
board :  but,  as  a  general  law,  a  good  free  sheet  is 
the  better,  especially  in  a  sea-way. 


44  Practical  Boat-Sailing 


TO    KNOW   WHEN  THE   YACHT    IS    AS    NEAR  THE   WINI\ 
AS   SHE   WILL  SAIL 

Is  important,  and  it  can  always  be  known  by  the 
following  method.  Push  the  helm  very  slowly  over 
to  leeward,  and,  as  the  yacht  commences  to  come 
towards  the  wind,  keep  the  eye  fastened  upon  the 
luff,  or  inner  leach,  of  the  mainsail.  As  soon  as 
the  yacht  is  too  near  the  wind  to  have  the  sail  stand 
full,  a  little  wave  will  be  seen  to  agitate  the  luff  of 
the  sail,  from  its  head  to  the  foot,  usually  commen- 
cing near  the  head,  and  just  under  the  gaff,  as  that 
part  of  the  sail  is  at  a  further  angle  from  the  wind 
than  the  part  that  is  fastened  to  the  main-boom ; 
the  gaff  blowing  out  much  further  to  leeward,  not 
being  confined  by  a  sheet  as  the  main-boom  is. 
This  wave,  or  shake,  is  caused  by  the  wind  getting 
on  both  sides  of  the  sail,  and,  if  persisted  in,  would 
bring  the  yacht  to  a  stand-still,  with  the  sail  flapping 
in  the  wind's  eye.  But  short  practice  will  enable 
one  to  see  almost  instantly  this  commencement  of 
a  shake,  that  begins  to  show  itself  on  the  mainsail 
like  a  smile  breaking  over  the  countenance  of  a 
pretty  woman  ;  and  at  the  first  symptom  reverse  the 
helm,  and  keep  the  yacht  in  that  position  which  is 
called  sailing  "  by  the  wind,"  or  "  full  and  by  ;  " 
that  is  to  say,  full  sails,  and  by  the  wind.  If,  after 
the  yacht  is  in  this  position,  a  bearing  on  shore 
can  be  taken  to  steer  by,  it  will  be  a  good  thing ; 


Running  Free,  45 

but  as  the  wind  often  changes  even  several  points, 
especially  near  the  coast-line,  every  few  moments, 
this  experiment  must  be  repeated ;  and  it  is  this 
keeping  a  yacht  up  to  her  work,  and  never  letting 
her  fall  off,  and  never  shaking  her,  and  yet  taking 
advantage  of  every  flaw,  that  goes  to  make  up  the 
accomplished  helmsman.  There  are  other  signs 
besides  these,  which  to  a  sailor  are  very  simple, 
that  denote  to  him  when  the  yacht  is  off  the  wind  ; 
such  as  the  angle  at  which  the  wind  strikes  his 
face,  the  direction  of  the  wind  on  the  face  of  the 
waters,  and  the  line  of  the  weather-vane  at  the  main 
truck,  and  the  smoke  from  his  pipe  :  these  will  do 
for  him  as  well  as  luffing  and  shaking  the  mainsail, 
but  the  latter  method  is  the  perfect  one  ;  and,  if 
the  yacht  can  be  so  steered  as  to  keep  just  the 
suspicion  of  a  little  smile  rippling  its  luff  below  the 
throat  of  the  gaff,  it  will  be  the  perfection  of  sailing 
"  close-hauled,"  or  "  by  the  wind." 

RUNNING    FREE. 

When  the  wind  is  favorable,  and  the  yacht  will 
lay  her  course  without  having  to  beat  towards  Tier 
destination  at  an  angle  against  the  head  wind,  as  in 
close-hauled,  then  the  sails  are  arranged  in  a  dif- 
ferent manner  ;  and  the  main-boom  is  swung  out 
over  the  side  in  just  such  proportion  as  the  wind 
may  be  free,  till  completely  out,  so  as  to  hang  at 
right  angles  with  the  keel,  when  the  wind  is  dead 
alt.  (See  diagrams.) 


Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


Before  the   Wind,  or  Scudding.  47 

BEFORE   THE   WIND,    OR   SCUDDING. 

This  is  the  most  difficult  steering  of  any ;  and  in 
rough  water  it  is  very  hard  to  keep  the  yacht  upon 
her  course,  for  the  reason  that  the  seas  will  lift  the 
stern  out  of  the  water,  thus  at  once  neutralizing 
the  use  of  the  rudder  for  a  moment,  and  causing 
the  yacht  to  yaw.  Besides  this,  the  speed  changes, 
this  affecting  the  rudder  also.  When  on  top  of  a 
sea,  and  all  the  sails  full,  the  yacht  will  go  fast : 
when  she  attempts  to  bury  her  head,  and  kick  up 
her  heels,  and  becalms  the  jib  and  lower  part  of 
the  mainsail,  she  will  go  slower.  There  is  one 
thing  to  be  guarded  against  in  running  before  the 
wind,  and  that  is,  the  "jibing"  of  the  main-boom; 
that  is  to  say,  the  wind  getting  on  the  forward  part 
of  the  sail,  from  any  cause,  —  whether  by  change  of 
wind,  or  on  account  of  bad  steering,  —  and  carrying 
it  violently  over  to  the  other  side,  endangering  the 
yacht,  and  with  a  liability,  in  heavy  weather,  of 
carrying  away  the  mast.  This  must  be  guarded 
against  carefully ;  and  if  the  sea  is  very  bad,  and 
the  yacht  steers  very  wild,  it  is  better  to  tack  down 
to  leeward,  as  it  is  termed,  that  is  to  say,  to  haul 
up  the  yacht  a  little  towards  the  wind  on  either 
tack,  so  as  to  bring  it  over  the  quarter,  and  then 
run  before  it  for  a  distance,  and  then,  by  careful 
jibing,  bring  the  wind  over  the  other  quarter,  and 
then  proceed  on. 


48  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

PILOT'S  LUFF. 

In  harbor-sailing,  a  buoy  or  point  often  appears 
ahead,  which,  if  passed,  the  yacht  could  be  at  once 
kept  away  free,  being  now  close-hauled,  thus  saving 
the  time  and  inconvenience  of  tacking,  but,  as  she 
is  going,  will  be  right  in  the  way,  unless  she  is  put 
about.  To  avoid  tacking  in  such  a  case,  where 
the  yacht  will  almost  stand  by,  a  manoeuvre  is  often 
executed  (if  the  tide  is  favorable,  and  the  wind 
brisk),  to  avoid  tacking,  called  a  "pilot's  luff,"  and 
consists  of — when  quite  near  the  object  to  be  passed, 
and  according  to  its  position  as  right  ahead  or 
slightly  to  leeward  —  bringing  the  yacht  quickly 
up  into  the  wind,  so  that  the  sails  shake,  and  by 
her  own  momentum  shooting  her  dead  to  wind- 
ward once  or  twice  her  length ;  and  then,  before 
her  headway  is  lost,  and  the  rudder,  therefore,  use- 
less, keeping  her  off  again  till  every  thing  draws, 
when  the  same  manoeuvre  may  be  again  executed, 
each  time  gaining  a  position  farther  to  windward 
than  could  have  been  gained  in  any  other  way, 
except  by  going  about  on  the  other  tack. 

It  takes  a  steady  hand  at  the  tiller,  and  a  good 
calculation  of  the  momentum  of  the  yacht,  to  exe- 
cute a  pilot's  luff  well :  but  it  is  very  useful  often, 
if  well  performed,  and  very  disastrous  in  a  race ; 
for  instance,  if  the  helmsman  succeeds  in  getting 
the  yacht  "  into  irons,"  and  with  a  stern-board  on, 


Pilot's  Luff.  49 

as  may  be  the  case  if  he  brings  her  up  too  high, 
or  neglects  to  move  the  helm  in  time  to  get  back 
upon  his  course  before  the  momentum  of  the  yacht 
is  lost,  or  lets  her  go  about  on  the  other  tack.  A 
pilot's  luff  is  a  very  pretty  manoeuvre  when  well 
executed ;  and  you  shall  see  many  an  old  boatman 
squeezing  his  boat  by  a  point,  instead  of  taking  the 
trouble  of  going  about,  knowing,  that,  the  moment 
he  has  doubled  it,  his  course  will  be  such  that  the 
wind  will  be  fair,  and  he  can  then  ease  off  his 
sheets,  and  go  on  his  way  rejoicing. 


5° 


Practical  Boat-Sailing, 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Tacking.  —  Beating  to  Windward.  —  A  Long  and  a  Short  Leg.  — 
How  to  put  a  Yacht  about.  —  How  to  distinguish  the  Starboard 
Tack  from  the  Port  Tack. — Jibing,  or  Wearing.  —  Dropping 
the  Peak.  —  To  beat  to  Windward  in  a  Tide- Way.  —  To  take 
in  a  Jib,  and  furl  it.  — To  take  in  a  Mainsail,  and  furl  it. —  To 
reef  a  Jib,  or  take  off  a  Bonnet.  —  To  clap  one  Reef  in  a  Main- 
sail. —  To  cast  out  a  Reef. 

TACKING 


Is  the  art  of  putting  a  yacht 
about,  so  that  the  wind,  which 
has  been  blowing  upon  the  star- 
board side,  we  will  say,  shall 
blow  upon  the  port  side,  or  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  sails  to 
which  it  was  before  the  manoeu- 
vre was  executed,  and,  when 
used  to  force  the  vessel  by  a 
series  of  angles  towards  the 
direction  from  which  the  wind 
proceeds,  is  called  "  beating  to 
windward."  Sometimes  the 
wind  is  not  dead  ahead,  and  yet 


Tacking. 


In  such  a  direction  that  the  yacht  cannot  proceed 
except  by  tacking  once  in  a  while.  This  is  termed 
making  a  long  and  a  short  leg.  (See  diagram.) 

We  will  first  explain  how  a  yacht  is  put  about  in 
heavy  weather  and  with  seamanlike  accuracy. 

In  the  first  place,  let  us 
define  the  starboard  tack 
from  the  port  tack,  and 
vice  versa.  It  must  be  re- 
membered that  a  yacht  is 
on  the  starboard  tack  when 
the  main-boom  is  out  over 
the  port  quarter,  and  the 
port  jib-sheets  trimmed 
down ;  and  on  the  port 
tack,  when  the  main-boom 
is  out  over  the  starboard 
quarter;  or  the  starboard 
jib-sheets  trimmed  down  ;  or 
a  yacht  is  said  to  be  on  the 

starboard  tack  when  the  wind  blows  so  as  to  hit  the 
starboard  side  of  the  boat,  and  vice  versa.  This  is 
very  useful  to  remember ;  for  there  are  several 
"rights  of  way  "  that  one  has  when  on  the  star- 
board tack,  which  will  be  treated  of  hereafter. 
The  windward  side  of  the  yacht  also  denotes  which 
tack  she  is  upon,  the  name  of  the  weather-side 
being  the  name  of  the  tack.  We  will  suppose  that 
the  yacht  is  on  the  starboard  tack,  with  the  main- 


52  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

boom  out  over  the  port  quarter,  the  port  jib-sheets 
trimmed  down,  and  the  yacht  close-hauled  to  the 
wind.  Have  every  thing  gotten  ready  for  tacking, 
by  singing  out,  Ready  about !  when  all  assistants 
should  take  their  positions  as  before  instructed  ; 
then  (we  will  suppose  you  are  steering  your  own 
yacht)  keep  off  till  the  yacht  is  going  a  good  full 
through  the  water,  and  then,  by  means  of  the  tiller 
gradually  pressed  hard  over  to  port,  bring  her  into 
the  wind's  eye,  singing  out,  as  the  tiller  is  being 
moved,  "Hard  a-lee;"  at  which  command  the 
assistant  at  the  jib-sheet  should  cast  off  all  but  one 
turn,  and,  as  the  boat  starts  into  the  wind,  should 
cast  that  off,  letting  the  jib  fly  loosely  at  the  com- 
mand, Let  go  the  jib-sheet !  which  follows  quickly 
the  announcement  of  "  Hard  a-lee."  Then,  unless 
the  yacht  gets  a  stern-board,  which  has  been  ex- 
plained elsewhere,  she  is  helped  round  by  pushing 
the  main-boom  —  which  is  made  fast  by  its  sheet, 
and  works  itself — out  over  the  starboard  quarter. 
When  the  yacht  is  just  about  to  pass  the  direction 
of  the  wind,  and  is  nearly  upon  the  other  tack,  give 
the  order  to  "trim  down  on  the  port  jib-sheet"  — 
the  same  sheet  as  has  just  been  cast  off;  and  the 
outer  surface  of  the  sail  will  act  as  a  lever  to  push 
the  head  of  the  yacht  off  till  the  wind  fills  the 
mainsail,  when  the  order,  "  Let  draw !  "  should  be 
given,  and  the  jib-sheet  let  go  on  the  port  side, 
and  trimmed  down  as  fast  as  slacked,  by  another 
assistant  on  the  starboard  side.  (See  diagrams.) 


Tacking. 

THE  ART  OF  TACKING 


53 


Trim  down  on 
Me  Port Ji&  Sheet 


Hard  a  L  ee 
LetgoJtbSheet 


Ready 


54  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

When  the  weather  is  light,  the  yacht  small,  or 
particularly  easy  in  coming  about,  all  the  above 
may  not  need  to  be  executed.  Some  vessels  will 
come  about  without  starting  the  head-sheets  ;  others 
always  need  it;  some  always  get  stern-way,  and 
need  the  helm  shifted  to  bring  them  round  ;  whilst 
the  centre-board  boats,  as  a  class,  fly  round  without 
touching  any  thing.  But  it  is  well  to  know  how  to 
get  a  yacht  about  in  a  heavy  sea ;  and  all  the  prin- 
ciples that  will  help  bring  about  this  result  have 
been  given  above. 

JIBING,    OR   WEARINO. 

There  are  times  when  the  sea  is  too  high,  and 
the  sail  so  much  reduced  that  a  yacht  will  not  go 
about  by  turning  towards  the  wind,  but  must  be 
gotten  on  the  other  tack  by  wearing,  as  it  is  techni- 
cally called  in  ships,  where  the  yards  are  square, 
and  jibing,  as  it  is  called  in  crafts  that  carry  fore- 
and-aft  sails,  i.e.,  sails  that  hoist  up  on  a  mast,  and 
are  stretched  upon  booms,  in  contradistinction  to 
those  that  are  fastened  to  yards  that  cross  the  mast 
at  right  angles,  as  in  a  ship  often  called  by  sailors, 
for  this  reason,  a  "  square-rigger." 

Jibing  is  at  all  times  a  delicate  manoeuvre,  as 
many  have  found  out  to  their  sorrow  if  they  have 
ever  been  careless.  It  is  also  a  very  deceptive 
manoeuvre,  to  any  but  sailors.  How  easy  it  is  for 
land-lubbers,  after  facing  a  good  square  breeze,  to 


Jibing,  or  Wearing.  55 

think,  when  the  yacht  is  kept  away  before  it,  that 
the  wind  has  gone  down  !  And  the  writer  lias  actu- 
ally brought  his  yacht  to  the  wind  again,  to  convince 
one  sceptic  that  it  was  the  position  of  the  yacht 
•wholly  that  caused  all  the  change  ;  which  is  ex- 
tremely marked,  as  all  must  allow.  It  is  from  this 
treacherous  smoothness,  after  so  much  buffeting 
about  when  close-hauled,  that  all  the  mischief 
occurs  ;  for  the  boom  often,  if  carelessly  allowed  to 
jibe,  will  fill  with  wind,  and,  as  it  goes  over,  either 
part  the  main-sheet,  or  carry  away  the  mast,  or  do 
other  damage,  sometimes  of  a  very  serious  nature. 
It  is  forgotten,  also,  in  this  manoeuvre,  that,  when 
the  mainsail  comes  aft,  there  is  a  moment  when  it 
flutters  in  the  wind's  eye ;  and  the  yacht,  relieved 
of  its  immense  pressure,  loses  in  a  great  measure 
her  momentum,  and  then,  when  the  sail  fills  with  a 
rush,  sufficient  allowance  for  the  loss  of  speed,  and 
the  force  of  the  hurrying  wind  that  fills  the  great 
mainsail,  is  not  taken  into  account. 

This  manoeuvre  must,  however,  be  executed  when 
the  yacht  will  not  go  about  by  turning  to  windward  ; 
but  it  is  advised  to  use  this  method  as  little  as  pos- 
sible, except  in  light  summer  airs  in  inner  harbors, 
when  it  may  be  executed  with  impunity  and  with- 
out any  danger  of  mishaps. 

We  will  suppose  a  yacht  is  running  before  the 
wind  on  the  port  tack,  with  the  main-boom  off  to 
its  fullest  extent ;  which  is  a  position  that  she  will 


56  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

reach  in  turning  to  leeward,  from  any  other  position, 
either  close-hauled  or  running  free,  before  she  can 
be  jibed.  It  is  always  safer,  if  the  wind  is  at  all 
strong,  "  to  drop  the  peak  "  before  attempting  the 
evolution.  "Dropping  the  peak"  consists  of  letting 


go  the  peak-halliards  of  the  mainsail,  so  that  the 
outer  clew  and  head  of  the  sail,  that  is  attached  to 
the  gaff,  will  be  lowered  down  so  as  to  dangle 
alongside  of  the  mainmast,  with  the  gaff  pointing 
to  the  deck.  This  makes  of  the  mainsail,  for  the 
time  being,  a  sort  of  triangular  or  leg-of-mutton 
sail,  and  takes  off  the  leverage  of  the  high  part, 


Jibing,  or  Wearing. ' 


57 


that  the  wind  might  fill  in  jibing,  and  thus  press 
over  the  yacht  dangerously.     (See  diagram.) 

After  dropping  the  peak,  commence  hauling  in 
upon  the  main-sheet,  keeping  the  yacht  all  the 
time  turned  a  very  little  towards  the  wind  on  the 
port  side,  till  the  main-sheet  is  hauled  chock  aft, 


and  the  main-boom  almost  amidships ;  then  take  a 
good  turn  with  it,  and  shift  the  helm  gradually,  till 
the  wind  is  on  the  starboard  side  slightly,  and  the 
sail  has  filled  with  a  slat  upon  that  tack ;  when  the 
main-sheet  may  be  slackened,  the  peak  hoisted, 
and  the  yacht  kept  on  her  course. 

BEATING  TO   WINDWARD   IN   A   TIDE-WAY. 

It  is  very  important  at  times  to  know  how  a  cur- 
rent sets ;  for,  in  beating  to  windward,  it  makes  all 


58  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

the  difference  in  the  world  often,  which  tack  the 
yacht  is  upon,  and  whether  she  is  heading  well  up  to 
the  tide,  or  crossing  it  at  such  an  angle  as  to  receive 
its  whole  force ;  and,  being  swept  to  leeward,  the 
direction  of  the  current  will  decide  which  tack  to 
keep  the  longer  upon,  and  to  make  as  short  as 
possible  the  tack  that  brings  the  keel  at  right  angles 
to  the  current.  Manage  the  yacht,  also,  so  that, 
when  the  current  or  tide-way  is  faced  in  the  place 
of  its  greatest  strength,  the  yacht  shall  be  upon 
the  tack  that  nearly  stems  it,  and  that  she  shall  be 
placed  upon  the  unfavorable  tack  only  when  she 
approaches  parts  of  the  tide-way  where  the  current 
may  be  less  strong.  A  knowledge  of  the  direction 
of  a  tide-way,  and  how  to  take  advantage  of  it,  has 
won  many  a  race. 

TO   TAKE   IN   A   JIB,    AND    FURL   IT. 

It  is  best  to  first  bring  to  by  the  wind ;  but  the 
jib  can  be  taken  in  and  furled,  with  the  yacht  in 
different  positions. 

Stand  by  the  jib-halliards,  and  have  the  down- 
haul  well  manned,  also  the  lee  jib-sheet ;  then,  at 
the  command,  "Down  jib  !"  or,  "Let  go  the  jib- 
halliards  !  "  or,  "  Take  in  the  jib  !  "  the  halliards 
are  cast  off,  the  lee  jib-sheet  eased  off,  and  the 
down-haul  bowsed  upon,  till  the  head  of  the  jib  is 
snug  down  to  the  boom,  when  it  should  be  care- 
fully belayed,  and  the  lee-sheot  again  made  fast, 


To  Take  in  a  Mainsail,  and  Furl  It.      59 

leaving  a  little  slack  for  furling.  Then  lay  out 
upon  the  bowsprit,  on  the  weather-side,  and  pick 
up  the  sail  from  out  to  leeward,  and  furl  it  to  the 
bowsprit  by  means  of  gaskets,  or  stops,  or  in  any 
way  that  is  arranged  for,  being  careful,  if  the  yacht 
is  pitching  much,  not  to  be  thrown  over  the  bow- 
sprit to  leeward,  if  submerged  in  a  sea;  for  the 
person  is  suddenly  lifted  by  a  sea  that  may  reach 
only  to  the  middle,  and,  if  care  is  not  taken, 
pitched  over  the  bowsprit  and  to  leeward.  Having 
made  every  thing  fast,  lay  in,  and  set  taut  the  jib- 
halliards,  and  belay  them,  and  bring  the  after-clew 
of  the  jib  amidships,  by  setting  taut  on  the  starboard 
and  port  jib-sheets,  and  belaying  them,  and  coiling 
down  every  thing  snug. 

TO  TAKE   IN   A   MAINSAIL,    AND    FURL  IT. 

Bring  the  yacht  close  to  the  wind,  and  haul  the 
main-sheet  flat  aft,  and  belay  it  carefully ;  for,  if  it 
should  get  adrift  whilst  the  sail  was  being  furled, 
some  one  might  be  knocked  overboard.  Then 
stand  by  the  throat  and  peak-halliards,  and,  at  the 
word  "  Lower  away,"  ease  away  handsomely  on 
each,  taking  care  not  to  let  the  peak  drop  too  fast, 
which,  if  done,  sometimes  causes  the  hoops  to  jam, 
and  the  whole  sail  to  stick,  till  the  peak-halliards 
are  hoisted  upon  again  to  clear  things.  When  the 
sail  is  wholly  down,  make  fast  the  halliards,  and  get 
along  on  the  weather-side  of  the  main-boom,  and 


60  Practical  Boat-Sailing, 

pick  up  the  sail  by  what  is  called  "  skinning  it ;  " 
that  is  to  say,  not  to  haul  it  up  bodily  upon  the 
boom,  but  by  repeatedly  taking  the  canvas,  and 
shaking  it  towards  one,  it  is  finally  rolled  up  so  as 
to  lay  snugly  on  the  boom,  to  which  it  should  be 
fastened  by  gaskets.  The  main-boom  should  then 
be  lifted  into  a  crotch,  if  one  is  used,  and  the  throat 
and  peak-halliards  hauled  taut,  and  the  main-sheet 
again  belayed,  as  it  will  have  to  be  slacked  to  get 
the  crotch  under  the  boom,  and  every  thing  coiled 
up  snug,  and  belayed. 

REEFING. 

This  consists  of  the  art  of  reducing  the  sails  of  a 
yacht  in  heavy  weather,  so  that  she  will  not  be  top- 
heavy,  and  be  able  to  stand  up  bravely  against  the 
coming  blast.  And  here  let  the  writer  beg  all 
persons  who  desire  to  be  advised  at  all,  not  to 
delay  reefing  too  long ;  and  always  put  in  two  reefs 
rather  than  one,  if  the  weather  looks  very  dirty. 
Reefing  before  bad  weather  reaches  one  is  quite 
another  thing  than  trying  to  reef  down  in  the 
middle  of  a  thunder-storm  in  which  one  has  been 
caught  by  holding  on  too  long. 

TO    REEF   A   JIB,    OR   TAKE   OFF   THE    BONNET. 

If  fitted  with  a  bonnet,  instead  of  reef-points, 
bring  the  yacht  to  the  wind,  lower  away  on  the  jib- 
halliards,  and  bowse  on  the  down-haul,  and  lower 


To  Put  One  Reef  in  a  Mainsail.          61 

the  jib  enough  so  as  to  bring  the  reef-cringle  down 
to  the  bowsprit ;  then,  if  a  bonnet,  unlace  and  cast 
off,  and,  if  reef-points,  tie  up  the  sail  with  them, 
and  lash  the  outer  clew  to  the  bowsprit,  and  cast 
off  the  jib-sheet  blocks,  and  hook  the  sister-hooks 
into  the  reef-cringle ;  hoist  up  the  sail,  and  trim  it. 

TO   PUT  ONE   REEF   IN   A   MAINSAIL. 

Haul  down  the  jib,  bring  the  yacht  to  the  wind, 
haul  the  main-boom  chock  aft,  and  belay  the  sheet 
carefully  ;  lower  away  on  the  throat  and  peak  hal- 
liards till  the  reef-band  is  down  somewhat  lower 
than  the  main-boom ;  then,  by  means  of  the  reef- 
pennant  rove  through  the  reef-cringle  on  the  outer 
leach  of  the  sail,  bowse  the  foot  out  on  the  boom, 
and  lash  it  fast  by  passing  an  earing  through  the 
cringle,  and  around  the  boom  by  several  turns,  till 
the  clew  of  the  sail  is  securely  fastened ;  then  pass 
an  earing  from  the  reef-cringle  in  the  luff  of  the 
sail  around  the  main-boom  in  the  same  manner,  and 
commence  fastening  the  reef-points,  either  around 
the  main-boom,  or  to  an  iron  jackstay  fastened  to 
the  boom,  or  around  the  foot  of  the  sail,  according 
as  the  yacht  may  be  arranged,  remembering  to  make 
each  knot  a  square  knot,  and  not  a  "  granny." 

After  the  sail  is  half  lowered  in  this  manner,  so 
as  to  get  at  the  reef-band,  &c.,  the  yacht  is  kept 
head  to  sea  and  "  hove  to,"  by  placing  the  tiller 
towards  the  lee-side  of  the  yacht,  or  what  is  called 


62  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

"  hard  a-lee,"  where  it  is  secured  till  the  vessel  is 
reefed,  and  started  again  on  her  way.  In  reefing, 
always  haul  out  on  the  reef-pennant  first,  and 
stretch  the  foot  of  the  sail,  and  then  lash  the  luff 
next,  and  fasten  the  reef-points  last. 

When  the  points  are  all  tied,  hoist  away  on  the 
throat  and  peak-halliards,  and  set  the  sail. 

TO   TAKE  IN  A   SECOND   REEF. 

Proceed  in  exactly  the  same  manner,  except  that, 
in  first  commencing  to  reef,  two  reefs  can  be  taken 
in  one  by  lowering  the  sail  to  the  second  reef-band, 
and  proceeding  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as  in 
the  first  reef,  except  that  the  two  extremities  of  the 
sail  are  lashed  at  the  second  reef-band  cringles ; 
and,  in  tying  the  reef-points,  no  notice  is  taken  of 
the  first  reef-points,  but  they  are  stowed  with  the 
rest  of  the  sail  to  the  boom,  and  are  not  tied.  This 
taking  two  reefs  in  one  is  often  done  when  caught 
suddenly  and  a  great  reduction  of  sail  is  needed 
at  once  ;  and  it  is  as  useful  and  safe  as  if  one  reef 
above  the  other  had  been  properly  tied,  the  only 
difference  being,  that  if  the  weather  should  moder- 
ate, so  that  the  yacht  would  need  bu.t  one  reef,  in- 
stead of  the  two  she  has  in,  nothing  can  be  done, 
till  the  weather  is  enough  settled  to  carry  all  sail, 
towards  shaking  out  the  two  reefs  in  one,  which 
would,  of  course,  shake  out  the  whole  sail :  and 
valuable  time  may  be  lost  for  want  of  more  sail, 


To  Shake  out  a  Reef.  63 

set ;   but,  if  it  is  really  needed,  the  two  reefs  in 
one  can  be  cast  out,  and  a  single  reef  taken  in. 


Reefed  Sox&r 


TO  SHAKE  OUT  A  REEF. 


Bring  the  yacht  to  the  wind  in  the  same  manner 
as  for  reefing,  and  unknot  carefully  all  the  reef- 
points  first,  then  cast  off  the  lashing  at  the  luff,  and, 
lastly,  the  earing  at  the  end  of  the  boom. 


64  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Signal-Lights.  —  The  United-States  Regulations  for  Steering  and 
Sailing,  and  the  Rules  of  the  Road.  —  Fog-Signals.  —  Salutes. 

—  Dipping   Colors.  —  Coming    alongside.  —  Quarter-deck   Eti- 
quette. —  Useful  Articles  of  Cabin  Furniture.  —  Anchor  Watch. 

—  Method  and  System  versus  Disorder. 

SIGNAL-LIGHTS. 

IN  all  night  sailing  it  is  important  to  know  the 
direction  in  which  any  passing  vessel  is  proceeding, 
and  also  to  be  able  to  give  notice  of  the  direction 
in  which  one's  own  yacht  is  sailing,  or,  if  she  be  at 
anchor,  to  so  denote,  so  as  to  avoid  collisions  ;  and, 
for  this  purpose,  law  and  custom  have  made  certain 
fixed  rules,  the  most  important  of  which,  and  those 
that  are  necessary  for  usual  contingencies,  are  here 
appended. 

RULES    OF    THE    ROAD;    OR,   STEERING    AND 
SAILING   RULES   OF   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

ARTICLE  2.  —  The  lights  mentioned  in  the  following  ar- 
ticles, and  no  others,  shall  be  carried  in  all  weathers  between 
sunset  and  sunrise. 


Rules  of  (he  Road.  65 

LIGHTS   FOR  STEAMSHIPS. 

ART.  3.  —  All  steam  vessels,  when  under  way,  shall  carry 

((/.)  At  the  foremast  head  a  bright  white  light,  so  fixed  as 
to  show  a  uniform  and  unbroken  light  over  an  arc  of  the 
horizon  of  twenty  points  of  the  compass ;  so  fixed  as  to  throw 
the  light  ten  points  on  each  side  of  the  ship,  viz.,  from  right 
ahead  to  two  points  abaft  the  beam  on  either  side ;  and  of 
such  a  character  as  to  be  visible  on  a  dark  night,  with  a  clear 
atmosphere,  at  a  distance  of  at  least  five  miles. 

(/>.)  On  the  starboard  side  a  green  light,  so  constructed  as 
to  throw  a  uniform  and  unbroken  light  over  an  arc  of  the 
horizon  of  ten  points  of  the  compass ;  so  fixed  as  to  throw 
the  light  from  right  ahead  to  two  points  abaft  the  beam  on 
the  starboard  side ;  and  of  such  a  character  as  to  be  visible 
on  a  dark  night,  with  a  clear  atmosphere,  at  a  distance  of  at 
least  two  miles. 

(<r.)  On  the  port  side  a  red  light,  so  constructed  as  to 
show  a  uniform,  unbroken  light  over  an  arc  of  the  horizon 
of  ten  points  of  the  compass ;  so  fixed  as  to  throw  the  light 
from  right  ahead  to  two  points  abaft  the  beam  on  the  port 
side;  and  of  such  a  character  as  to  be  visible  on  a  dark 
night,  with  a  clear  atmosphere,  at  a  distance  of  at  least  two 
miles. 

NOTE.  —  To  fix  firmly  in  the  mind  the  side  of  the  vessel  on  which 
the  lights  belong,  the  following,  although  original,  is  recommended  : 
PORT  WINE  is  red,  and  the  KED  LIGHT  is  always  on  the  PORT  SIDE. 

(//.)  The  said  green  and  red  sidelights  shall  be  fitted  with 
inboard  screens,  projecting  at  least  three  feet  forward  from 
the  light,  so  as  to  prevent  these  lights  from  being  seen  across 
the  bow. 

LIGHTS   FOR   STEAM-TUGS. 

ART.  4.  —  Steamships,  when  towing  other  ships,  shall 
carry  two  bright  white  masthead1  lights  vertically,  in  addi- 
tion to  their  side-lights,  so  as  to  distinguish  them  from  other 
steamships. 


66  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

LIGHTS   FOR   SAILING-VESSELS. 

ART.  5.  —  Sailing-vessels  under  way,  or  being  towed, 
shall  carry  the  same  lights  as  steamships  under  way,  with 
the  exception  of  the  white  masthead  lights,  which  they 
shall  never  carry. 

EXCEPTIONAL  LIGHTS   FOR   SMALL  SAILING-VESSELS. 

ART.  6.  —  Whenever,  as  in  the  case  of  small  vessels  dur- 
ing bad  weather,  the  green  and  red  lights  cannot  be  fixed, 
these  lights  shall  be  kept  on  deck,  on  their  respective  sides 
of  the  vessel,  ready  for  instant  exhibition ;  and  shall,  on  the 
approach  of  or  to  other  vessels,  be  exhibited  on  their  re- 
spective sides  in  sufficient  time  to  prevent  collision,  in  such 
manner  as  to  make  them  most  visible,  and  so  that  the  green 
light  shall  not  be  seen  on  the  port  side,  nor  the  red  light  on 
the  starboard  side.  To  make  the  use  of  these  portable 
lights  more  certain  and  easy,  they  shall  each  be  painted  out- 
side with  the  color  of  the  light  they  respectively  contain, 
and  shall  be  provided  with  suitable  screens. 

LIGHTS   FOR  SHIPS  AT  ANCHOR. 

ART.  7.  —  Ships,  whether  steamships  or  sailing-ships, 
when  at  anchor  in  roadsteads  or  fairways,  shall,  between 
sunset  and  sunrise,  exhibit  where  it  can  best  be  seen,  but  at  a 
height  not  exceeding  twenty  feet  above  the  hull,  a  white 
light  in  a  globular  lantern  of  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and 
so  constructed  as  to  show  a  clear,  uniform,  and  unbroken 
light  visible  all  around  the  horizon,  and  at  a  distance  of  at 
least  one  mile. 

LIGHTS   FOR   PILOT-VESSELS. 

ART.  8.  —  Sailing  pilot-vessels  shall  not  carry  the  lights 
required  for  other  sailing-vessels,  but  shall  carry  a  white 
light  at  the  mast-head,  visible  all  around  the  horizon ;  and 
shall  also  exhibit  a  flare-up  light  every  fifteen  minutes. 


Rules  governing  Fog-Signals.  67 

LIGHTS  FOR  FISHING  VESSELS  AND  BOATS. 
ART.  9.  —  Open  fishing-boats  and  other  open  boats  shall 
not  be  required  to  carry  side-lights  required  for  other  vessels, 
but  shall,  if  they  do  not  carry  such  lights,  carry  a  lantern 
having  a  green  slide  on  the  one  side,  and  a  red  slide  on  the 
other  side  ;  and,  on  the  approach  of  or  to  other  vessels,  such 
lantern  shall  be  exhibited  in  sufficient  time  to  prevent  colli- 
sion; so  that  the  green  light  shall  not  be  seen  on  the  port 
side,  nor  the  red  light  on  the  starboard  side.  Fishing-ves- 
sels and  open  boats  when  at  anchor,  or  attached  to  their 
nets,  and  stationary,  shall  exhibit  a  bright  white  light. 
Fishing-vessels  and  open  boats  shall,  however,  not  be  pre- 
vented from  using  a  flare-up  light  in  addition,  if  considered 
expedient. 

RULES   GOVERNING   FOG-SIGNALS. 

FOG-SIGNALS. 

ART.  10.  —  Whenever  there  is  a  fog,  whether  by  day  or 
night,  the  fog-signals  described  below  shall  be  carried  and 
used,  and  shall  be  sounded  at  least  every  five  minutes, 
viz. :  — 

(a.)  Steamships  under  way  shall  use  a  steam-whistle 
placed  before  the  funnel,  and  not  less  than  eight  feet  from 
the  deck. 

(6.)  Sailing-vessels  under  way  shall  use  a  fog-horn. 

(f.)  Steamships  and  sailing-ships,  when  not  under  way 
shall  use  a  bell. 

STEERING   AND   SAILING   RULES. 

TWO    SAILING-SHIPS    MEETING. 

ART.  II.  —  If  two  sailing-ships  are  meeting  end  on,  or 
nearly  end  on,  so  as  to  involve  risk  of  collision,  the  helms 
of  both  shall  be  put  to  port,  so  that  each  may  pass  on  the 
port  side  of  the  other. 


68  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

TWO   SAILING-SHIPS  CROSSING. 

ART.  12. —  When  two  sailing-ships  are  crossing  so  as  to 
involve  risk  of  collision,  then,  if  they  have  the  wind  on 
different  sides,  the  ship  with  the  wind  on  the  port  side  shall 
keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  ship  with  the  wind  on  the  star- 
board side,  except  in  the  case  in  which  the  ship  with  the 
wind  on  the  port  side  is  close-hauled,  and  the  other  ship 
free,  in  which  case  the  latter  ship  shall  keep  out  of  the  way. 
But  if  they  have  the  wind  on  the  same  side,  or  if  one  of 
them  has  the  wind  aft,  the  ship  which  is  to  windward  shall 
keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  ship  which  is  to  leeward. 

SAILING-SHIP  AND  SHIP   UNDER  STEAM. 
ART.  15. —  If  two  ships,  one  of  which  is  a  sailing-ship 
and  the  other  a  steamship,  are  proceeding  in  such  directions 
as  to  involve  risk  of  collision,  the  steamship  shall  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  sailing-ship. 

SHIPS   UNDER   STEAM   TO   SLACK   SPEED. 
ART.  16.  —  Every  steamship,  when  approaching  another 
ship  so  as  to  involve  risk  of  collision,  shall  slacken  her 
speed,  or,  if  necessary,  stop  and  reverse ;  and  every  steam- 
ship shall,  when  in  a  fog,  go  at  a  moderate  speed. 

VESSELS   OVERTAKING   OTHER   VESSELS. 

ART.  17. —  Every  vessel  overtaking  any  other  vessel  shall 
keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  said  last-mentioned  vessel. 

CONSTRUCTION    OF   ARTICLES    12,    15,    AND    17. 

ART.  18.  —  When,  by  the  above  rules,  one  of  two  ships 
is  to  keep  out  of  the  way,  the  other  shall  keep  her  course, 
subject  to  the  qualifications  contained  in  the  following 
article :  — 

PROVISO   TO    SAVE   SPECIAL    CASES. 

ART.  19.  —  In  obeying  and  construing  these  rules,  due 


Steering  and  Sailing  Rules.  69 

regard  must  be  had  to  all  dangers  of  navigation,  and  due 
regard  must  also  be  had  to  any  special  circumstances  which 
may  exist  in  any  particular  case,  rendering  a  departure 
from  the  above  rules  necessary  in  order  to  avoid  immediate 
danger. 

NO   SHIP   UNDER   ANY   CIRCUMSTANCES  TO   NEGLECT 
PROPER    PRECAUTIONS. 

ART.  20.  —  Nothing  in  these  rules  shall  exonerate  any 
ship,  or  the  owner  or  master,  or  crew  thereof,  from  the  con- 
sequences of  any  neglect  to  carry  lights  or  signals,  or  of 
any  neglect  to  keep  a  proper  lookout,  or  of  the  neglect  of 
any  precaution  which  may  be  required  by  the  ordinary  prac- 
tice of  seamen,  or  by  the  special  circumstances  of  the  case. 

The  following  diagrams  are  designed  to  illustrate 
the  use  of  the  lights  carried  by  vessels  at  sea  as 
prescribed  in  the  Regulations  above,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  indicate  to  each  vessel  the  posi- 
tion and  course  of  the  other. 

FIG.  i  (when  the  red  and  green  lights  are  both 
seen).  —  A  sees  a  red  and  green  light  ahead. 
A  knows  that  a  vessel  is  approaching  him  on  a 
course  directly  opposite  to  the  one  he  is  steering, 
as  B.  If  A  sees  a  white  masthead  light  above  the 
red  and  green  lights,  he  knows  that  the  vessel  B  is  a 
steamer.  A  should  put  his  helm  to  port ;  and  B, 
seeing  the  same  lights  on  board  of  A,  should  by  the 
same  rule  put  his  helm  to  port  also. 

FIG.  2  (when  the  red  light  only  is  seen).  —  A 
a  red  light  ahead  or  on  the  port  bow.  A 


7o 


Practical  Boat-Sailin. 


KfZ. 


Steering  anJ  Sailing  Rules.  71 

knows  that  cither,  first,  a  vessel  is  approaching  him 
on  his  port  bow,  as  B,  or,  second,  a  vessel  is  cross- 
ing his  bows  to  port  in  some  direction,  as  D  D'  I )" 
(Fig.  3).  If  A  sees  a  white  masthead  light  above 
the  red  light,  he  knows  that  the  vessel  is  a  steamer, 
and  is  either  approaching  in  the  same  direction  as 
B  (Fig  2),  or  is  crossing  to  port  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  DD'D"  (Fig.  3). 

In  the  first  position  (Fig.  2)  A  sees  B  a  little  on 
the  port  bow,  B's  red  light  exposed,  and,  by  the 
diagrams,  B  should  see  A's  red  light  as  well ;  in 
which  case  both  vessels  should  put  their  helms  to 
port. 

In  the  second  position  (Fig.  3)  A  sees  D  on  his 
starboard  bow,  and,  from  the  fact  that  he  only  sees 
D's  red  light,  he  knows  that  D  must  be  steering  in 
some  direction,  as  at  D  D'  D" ;  at  the  same  time, 
D  D'  D"  will  see  A's  green  light  on  his  port  bow. 

In  this  case,  A,  having  D  clearly  on  his  starboard 
bow,  should  put  his  helm  to  starboard  to  turn  from 
D,  and  D,  having  A  clearly  on  his  port  bow,  should 
put  his  helm  to  port  to  turn  to  starboard  from  A. 

FIG.  4  (when  the  green  light  is  seen,  and  the- 
red  light  is  not  seen).  —  A  sees  &  green  light  ahead, 
or  on  his  bow.  A  knows  that  either,  first,  a  vessel  is 
approaching  him  on  his  starboard  bow,  as  B,  or, 
second,  that  a  vessel  is  crossing  his  bow  in  some 
direction  to  starboard,  as  D  D'  D"  (Fig.  5). 

If  A   sees   a    white    masthead  light  above  the 


72  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

green  light,  A  knows  that  the  vessel  is  a  steamer, 
and  is  either  approaching  him  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  B,  or  is  crossing  to  starboard  in  some 
direction,  as  D  D'  D". 

In  the  first  position  A  sees  B  on  his  starboard 
bow,  B's  green  light  exposed,  and,  by  the  diagram, 
B  should  see  A's  green  light  as  well ;  in  which  case 
both  vessels  should  put  their  helms  to  starboard. 

In  the  second  position  A  sees  D  on  his  port  bow, 
and,  from  the  fact  that  he  only  sees  D's  green  light, 
he  knows  that  D  must  be  steering  in  some  direc- 
tion, as  D  D'  D" ;  at  the  same  time  D  will  see  A's 
red  light  on  his  starboard  bow.  In  this  case  A, 
having  D  clearly  on  his  port  bow,  should  put  his 
helm  to  port  to  turn  from  D  ;  and  D,  having  A 
clearly  on  his  starboard  bow,  should  put  his  helm 
to  starboard  to  turn  to  port  from  A. 

SALUTES. 

When  lying  in  harbor  in  a  well-ordered  and  dis- 
ciplined yacht,  considerable  ceremony  is  made  in 
hauling  down  the  colors  at  sunset,  and  hoisting 
them  at  sunrise.  It  is  customary  to  have  this  done 
with  great  exactness,  and  to  the  very  minute  often, 
at  which  the  sun  rises  or  sets,  as  ascertained  by  the 
nautical  almanac,  at  the  discharge  of  a  swivel  or 
small  cannon  ;  when  all  the  colors  aloft,  including 
the  ensign  and  private  signal,  should  commence  to 
descend  towards  the  deck  together,  and  at  the  same 


Sa/u/es.  73 

rate  of  speed.  To  execute  this  graceful  ceremony 
it  becomes  necessary  to  post  two  hands  at  each  of 
the  signal-halliards,  —  one  to  haul  down  the  color, 
the  other  to  check  it  on  its  descent,  so  as  to  have 
it  move  with  the  same  speed  as  the  ensign,  by 
which  all  other  colors  are  regulated  ;  then,  with  two 
hands  to  each  flag,  with  the  signal-halliards  cast  off, 
and  every  thing  clear,  and  ready  to  lower  away, 
another  hand  is  placed  at  the  swivel,  and  when  the 
second-hand  of  one's  watch  touches  the  minute  of 
sunset,  the  command  "  Fire  !  "  is  given,  and  down 
drop  gracefully  and  slowly  all  the  colors  that  are 
aloft.  They  may  be  set  in  the  morning  in  the 
same  way,  or  may  be  made  up  in  a  bundle  on  deck, 
and  hoisted  to  their  position  aloft,  when  at  a  given 
signal,  or  discharge  of  a  cannon,  the  stop  is  jerked 
asunder,  and  they  are  unfolded  to  the  breeze  at  the 
same  instant  of  time.  This  is  a  more  graceful 
method  than  hoisting  them  up  from  deck,  which,  at 
the  best,  causes  a  jerky  movement  of  the  bunting. 

In  a  sloop-yacht  the  ensign  is  carried  always  at 
the  end  of  the  gaff,  when  hoisted ;  and  the  burgee, 
or  private  signal,  at  the  topmast  head. 

When  passing  a  vessel  at  sea  that  has  her  colors 
set,  it  is  always  courtesy  to  bend  on  one's  own,  and, 
as  the  nearest  point  is  reached,  lower  the  ensign 
half  way  towards  the  deck,  and  then  hoist  it  back 
again  to  its  position  at  the  peak.  This  is  called 
"  dipping  the  colors ; "  and  the  smaller  vessel 
should  always  be  the  one  to  offer  the  courtesy  first. 


74  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

If  a  man-of-war  is  met,  care  should  be  taken  to 
be  always  the  first ;  and  here  it  is  proper  to  dip 
one's  ensign  three  times,  as  is  it  also  to  any  large 
and  important  vessel,  such  as  an  European  steamer 
moving  along  in  all  her  majesty :  she  will  not 
neglect  to  answer  the  politeness. 

In  entering  harbor,  especially  if  there  are  other 
yachts  lying  at  anchor,  it  has  become  customary,  at 
the  same  moment  that  the  anchor  is  dropped,  to 
discharge  a  gun  announcing  one's  arrival ;  and,  if 
there  are  other  yachts  present  to  whom  the  yacht  is 
known,  she  will  receive  probably  a  salute  from  each 
in  return. 

In  coming  alongside  of  a  yacht  at  anchor,  all 
persons  who  are  not  guests  of  the  captain,  or 
especially  invited,  or  of  some  rank  or  consequence, 
should  come  to  the  port  gangway.  The  starboard- 
side  of  a  vessel  at  anchor  is  the  captain's  side,  as  is 
that  side  of  the  deck  which  is  the  windward-side 
when  she  is  under  way.  Ladies  always  come  on 
board  on  the  starboard-side,  if  the  yacht  be  large 
enough  to  enter  into  all  these  niceties  of  quarter- 
deck etiquette. 

Every  yacht  that  is  large  enough  to  admit  of  it 
should  be  fitted  with  a  ship's  clock  with  watch 
movement,  a  swinging-lamp,  and  an  aneroid  barom- 
eter ;  all  of  which  are  of  great  use,  —  the  clock 
to  give  the  time  which  courses  have  been  sailed  ; 
the  lamp,  light  to  the  chart  upon  the  table  ;  and  the 
barometer,  admonition  of  a  change  in  the  weather. 


Anchor-  Watch.  75 

It  is  of  great  importance  that  an  "anchor-watch," 
as  it  is  called,  should  be  kept  on  all  yachts,  for 
many  reasons.  For  instance,  to  see  that  none  of  the 
sails  get  adrift  in  the  night,  should  it  come  on  to 
blow ;  and  to  see  that  the  anchor  holds  well,  or 
to  pay  out  more  cable,  if  necessary ;  to  watch  the 
lantern  in  the  fore-rigging,  and  take  care  that  it 
does  not  go  out,  leaving  the  yacht  at  the  mercy  of 
the  first  lumber-man  that  may  come  pitching  into 
her. 

Do  not  anchor  too  near  the  shore,  so  that  good 
sea-room  cannot  be  obtained,  should  it  be  desired 
to  get  under  way,  to  run  out  of  the  harbor,  or  to 
pay  out  cable  to  hold  on. 

It  is  very  easy  to  row  to  the  shore  in  a  tender, 
with  the  yacht  well  out,  but  very  hard  to  make  an 
inch  sometimes,  when  it  becomes  a  lee-shore. 

These  may  seem  trivial  matters  to  be  so  careful 
about ;  but  it  is  looking  out  for  all  contingencies, 
and  yet  being  without  a  particle  of  fear,  that  makes 
the  true  yachtman,  —  always  ready,  and  every  thing 
always  on  hand.  It  is  for  this  very  reason  of  being 
prepared,  that  fear  is  driven  out ;  whilst,  with  the 
careless  one,  in  times  of  emergency  the  ropes  foul, 
the  gaskets  are  missing,  the  anchor  is  not  bent 
on,  the  lamp  wants  oil,  the  lead-line  can't  be  found, 
and  the  jib-halliards,  not  being  properly  belayed  and 
coiled  down,  unreve  from  the  masthead  block, 
and  every  thing  is  "  at  sixes  and  at  sevens." 


•j6  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Cross-Bearings.  —  Two  Examples.  —  Table  of  Proportional  Dis- 
tances. —  Table  for  Determining  the  Distance  that  an  Object 
at  Sea  can  be  seen  in  Statute  Miles.  —  Determining  Distance 
by  the  Flash  of  a  Gun.  —  To  find  the  Difference  between  the 
True  and  Apparent  Direction  of  the  Wind.  —  To  find  the 
Distance  of  an  Object  on  Shore  from  the  Yacht,  by  two  Bear- 
ings of  the  Compass.  —  Use  of  the  Charts.  —  Soundings.  — 
Lead  Line.  —  Eight  Bells  and  Watch  and  \Vatch.  —  Boxing 
the  Compass.  —  Velocity  of  the  Wind.  —  The  Log  Reel  and 
Half-minute  Glass.  —  Buoys. 

CROSS- BEARINGS. 

PERHAPS  there  is  nothing  more  useful  in  simple 
coast-sailing  and  entering  harbors  than  to  know 
how  to  find  one's  exact  position  upon  the  chart,  at 
a  moment's  notice,  by  means  of  taking  what  is 
called  cross-bearings.  Nothing  is  necessary  for 
this  purpose,  but  a  pair  of  parallel-rulers,  a  com- 
pass, and  a  sight  of  any  two  well-defined  objects  in 
view,  that  may  be  known  upon  the  chart  by  theii 
general  relative  positions,  such  as  lighthouses,  light- 
ships, buoys,  churches,  headlands,  &c. 

The  parallel-rulers  are  two  rulers  attached   by 


Cross-Bearings.  7  7 

means  of  two  brass  swivels,  so  that  they  can  be 
moved  over  the  surface  of  a  chart  in  any  parallel 
direction  to  that  from  which  they  are  first  started ; 
and  are  used  to  define  direction  upon  any  part  of 
the  chart.  For  instance,  being  placed  upon  the 
printed  compass  upon  the  chart,  say  upon  the  line  of 
N.W.  and  S.E.,  they  can  be  moved  about  the  chart, 
carrying  this  same  direction  N.W.  and  S.E.,  to  any 
other  part  of  the  chart.  The  two  objects  decided 
upon  to  be  taken  should  be  in  such  a  direction  as 
to  form  somewhat  nearly  a  right  angle  with  the 
yacht  to  obtain  the  most  perfect  results.  All  de- 
pends upon  the  aptitude  with  which  the  observer 
can  line  the  object  to  be  observed,  i.e.,  its  bearing 
by  compass. 

The  writer  knows  of  nothing  so  important  and 
useful  as  this  simple  method  of  knowing  just 
where  one  is  at  any  moment,  and  thus  be  enabled 
to  know  just  how  to  steer  to  avoid  all  dangers. 
These  sights,  or  cross-bearings,  can  be  taken  every 
ten  minutes  with  ease  in  fine  weather,  and  the  posi- 
tion of  the  yacht  exactly  defined. 

EXAMPLE  I.  (see  diagram,  Fig.  i).  —  Bring  the 
compass  in  its  box  on  deck  (it  should  be  of  large 
size,  so  as  to  guide  the  eye  ;  and  small  pocket-com- 
passes are  useless  for  this  purpose),  and,  standing 
behind  it,  line  with  the  eye  with  great  care  the  bear- 
ing of  the  north  lighthouse  by  the  compass,  this 
we  will  suppose  to  be  N.W.  by  N. ;  mark  this  upon 


78 


Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


a  slip  of  paper,  and  then  move  the  person  so  as 
to  see  the  south  lighthouse  in  the  same  way  across 
the  face  of  the  compass, 
which  is  always  between 
the  observer  and  the  ob- 
ject to  be  observed  ;  and 
line  the  bearing  of  this 
lighthouse  by  compass,  in 
the  same  manner,  which 
we  will  suppose  to  be 
S.W.  With  these  two 
results  marked  upon  pa- 
per, refer  to  the  chart,  and  place  the  parallel- 
rulers  upon  the  printed  compass,  designed  upon  the 
chart,  upon  the  line  of  N.W.  by  W.  and  S.E.  by  S. 
(its  opposite),  and  move  them  by  means  of  the 
pivots  till  one  part  of  them  rests  upon  north  light- 
house ;  then  draw  a  line  of  indefinite  length  upon 
the  chart.  Take  up  the  rulers,  and  in  the  same 
manner  place  them  upon  the  printed  compass  on 
the  chart,  on  the  line  of  S.W.  and  N.E.,  and  carry 

them  fonvard,  keeping 
this  angle,  till  some  part 
rests  upon  south  light- 


house ;  then  draw  a  line 
which  will  at  some  point 
intersect  the  former  line, 
which,  if  the  bearings  have  been  correctly  taken, 
will  be  the  exact  position  of  the  yacht  at  the  time 
of  the  observation. 


Cross-Bearings.  79 

It  will  be  shown  too,  by  experiment,  that  consid- 
erable variation  of  the  bearings,  when  the  angle  is 
large,  may  be  made,  without  changing  very  much 
the  position  of  the  yacht,  proving  how  valuable 
this  process  is  for  practical  use,  as  a  considerable 
error  in  the  bearings  will  still  enable  one  to  know 
almost  exactly  the  position  of  the  yacht ;  whilst  a 
good  observation  will  give  it  exact. 

EXAMPLE  II.  (see  diagram  Fig.  2).  —  Placing  the 
compass  in  front  of  the  observer,  it  is  found  that  the 
lighthouse  bears  W.  by  compass,  and  that  the  light- 
ship bears  S.  W.  by  S.  With  -these  two  bearings  we 
consult  the  chart,  and  lay  off  the  two  lines  by  means 
of  the  parallel-rulers  ;  and,  if  the  chart  gives  the  dis- 
tance in  miles  of  the  lightship  from  the  lighthouse, 
then,  by  means  of  a  common  rule  of  equal  parts, 
we  shall  be  able  to  measure  the  distance  of  the 
yacht  from  the  lighthouse  or  from  the  lightship.  At 
the  foot  of  most  charts,  however,  will  be  found  a 
scale  of  miles,  and,  having  once  ascertained  the 
exact  position  of  the  yacht  by  means  of  cross- 
bearings,  it  will  be  very  easy,  with  a  pair  of  dividers, 
to  find  its  distance  in  miles  from  any  desired 
object  within  view,  or  designed  upon  the  chart, 
and,  by  the  use  of  the  parallel-rulers,  the  course, 
by  "compass,  that  should  be  sailed  to  reach  any 
desired  point. 

It  is  often  useful  to  know  how  many  geographical 
or  nautical  miles,  which  measure  at  the  equator 


8o 


Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


6,086.4  feet  in  length,  are  contained  in  a  degree  of 
longitude  at  different  latitudes ;  that  is  to  say,  a 
degree  of  longitude  east  or  west  of  89°  N.  latitude 
is  only  1.05  nautical  mile  in  length;  and  yet,  in 
another  sense,  this  1.05  is  60  miles,  or  one  degree 
in  length  :  hence  the  following  table  :  — 


A  TABLE  SHOWING,  FOR  SEVERAL  DEGREES  OF  LATITUDE, 
HOW  MANY  MILES  DISTANT  THE  TWO  MERIDIANS  ARE 
WHOSE  DIFFERENCE  OF  LONGITUDE  IS  ONE  DEGREE. 


LAT. 

MILES. 

LAT. 

MILES. 

LAT. 

MILES. 

LAT. 

MILES. 

15 

57-96 

26 

53-93 

37 

47.92 

48 

40.15 

16 

57.68 

27 

53-46 

38 

47.28 

49 

39-36 

i? 

57-38 

28 

52.98 

39 

46.63 

5° 

38.57 

18 

57.06 

29 

52-48 

40 

45-96 

Si 

37-76 

19 

56-73 

3» 

51.96 

4' 

45.28 

52 

36-94 

20 

56.38 

31 

Si-43 

42 

44-59 

53 

36.11 

21 

56.01 

S2 

50.88 

43 

43-88 

54 

35-27 

22 

55-63 

33 

50.32 

44 

43.16 

55 

34-4' 

23 

55-23 

34 

49-74 

45 

42-43 

56 

33-55 

24 

54.81 

35 

49.15 

46 

41.68 

57 

32.68 

25 

54-38 

36 

48.54 

47 

40.92 

58 

31.80 

Distance  that  Objects  can  be  Seen  at  Sea.  81 


TABLE    FOR    DETERMINING    THE    DISTANCE    THAT    OB- 
JECTS  AT  SEA  CAN    BE   SEEN   IN   STATUTE   MILES. 


NOTE.  — Enter  the  table  in  the  column  of  height  in  feet,  which  repre- 
sents the  height  of  the  observer  above  the  sea;  and  opposite  to  it,  in  the 
column  of  miles,  will  be  the  result. 


2 

z 

z 

z 

z 

X 

HKIGHT 
FKET. 

MILES. 

HHH.HT 
FEET. 

s 

HEIGHT 
FEET. 

2 

HEIGHT 
FEET. 

• 

_i 

Z 

It 

~  £ 
•—  — 

X 

• 

»j 

"*i 

HEIGHT 
FEET. 

If: 

9 

3 

i 

1.32 

'3 

4-77 

25 

6.61 

37 

8.05 

49 

9.26 

i°5 

'3-56 

2 

1.87 

14 

4-95 

26 

6.75 

38 

8.16 

5° 

9-35 

no 

13.88 

3 

2.29 

15 

5-12 

27 

6.87 

39 

8.26 

55 

9.81 

"5 

14.19 

4 

2.65 

16 

5.29 

28 

7.00 

40 

8-37 

60 

10.25 

1  20 

14.49 

5 

2.96 

'7 

5-45 

29 

7.12 

41 

8-47 

65 

10.67 

'25 

M-79 

6 

3.24 

18 

5-6. 

30 

7-25 

42 

8.57 

70 

11.07 

130 

15.08 

7 

3.50 

'9 

5-77 

31 

7-37 

43 

8.68 

75 

:i.46 

135 

15-37 

8 

3-74 

20 

S-Q2 

32 

7.48 

44 

8.78 

80 

::.83 

140 

15-65 

9 

3-97 

31 

6.06 

33 

7.60 

45 

8.87 

85 

12.20 

145 

'5-93 

10 

4.18 

22 

6.21 

34 

7-7' 

46 

8.97 

9° 

"•  5 

150 

16.20 

ii 

4-39 

23 

6-34 

35 

7.83 

47 

9.07 

95 

12. 

160 

16.73 

12 

4-58 

24 

6.48 

36 

7-94 

48 

9.17 

IOO 

13.23 

170 

'7-25 

KXAMPLE  I.  —  Sailing  along  in  the  yacht  "  Fire- 
fly," from  the  top  of  the  house  on  which  I  was 
standing,  which  brought  my  eyes  to  about  12  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  I  observed  seaward  the 
head  of  a  gaff  topsail  that  evidently  belonged  to  a 


82  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

yacht  of  about  ten  tons,  and  was  therefore  esti- 
mated to  be  about  45  feet  from  the  level  of  the  sea. 
How  far  were  these  vessels  from  each  other? 
In  the  table, 

Opposite  12  feet  stands         ....     4.58  .miles 
Opposite  45  feet  stands         ....     8.87 

Distance  apart J345  miles 

EXAMPLE  II.  —  Sailing  towards  the  land,  I  mount- 
ed the  shrouds  of  my  yacht  till  my  eye  was  about 
1 6  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean,  where  I  sighted 
the  top  of  a  known  lighthouse  that  I  was  looking 
for,  which  the  cljart  informed  me  was  145  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Required  the  distance 
of  the  lighthouse. 

In  the  table, 

Opposite  16  feet  stands      ....      5.29  miles 
Opposite  145  feet  stands     ....     15.93 

Distance.         .         .         .    *    .        .         .     21.22  miles 

Upon  seeing  the  flash  of  a  gun  1 counted  jo  seconds 
by  a  watch  before  I  heard  the  report.  How  far 
was  the  gun  from  me,  supposing  that  sound  moves 
at  the  rate  of  1,142  feet  per  second  ? 

The  velocity  of  light  is  so  great,  that  the  seeing 
of  any  act  done,  even  at  the  distance  of  a  number 
of  miles,  is  instantaneous.  But  by  observation  it  is 
found  that  sound  moves  at  the  rate  of  1,142  feet 


Direction  of  the  Wind.  83 

per  second,  or  about  one  statute  mile  in  4.6  sec- 
onds :  consequently  the  number  of  seconds  elapsed 
between  seeing  the  flash  and  hearing  the  report 
being  divided  by  4.6  will  give  the  distance  in  statute 
miles.  In  the  present  example  the  distance  was 
about  6^  miles,  because  30  divided  by  4.6  gives 
6j  nearly. 

To  find  the  difference  between  the  true  and  appar- 
ent direction  of  the  wind. 

Suppose  that  a  yacht  moves  in  the  direction  C  B 
from  C  to  B,  while  the  wind  moves  in  its  true  direc- 
tion from  A  to  B,  the  effect  on  the  boat          ^ 
will  be  the  same  as  if  she  be  at  rest,  and 
the  wind  blow  in  the  direction  A  C  with 
a  velocity  represented  by  A  C,  the  ve- 
locity of  the  yacht  being  represented  by 
B  C.     In  this  case,  the  angle  BAG  will 
represent  the  difference,  between  the  true 
and  apparent  direction  of  the  wind,  the  •*  c 

apparent  being  more  ahead  than  the  true ;  and, 
the  faster  the  vessel  goes,  the  more  ahead  the  wind 
will  appear  to  be.  We  must,  however,  except  the 
case  where  the  wind  is  directly  aft,  in  which  case 
the  direction  is  not  altered. 

It  is  owing  to  the  difference  between  the  true 
and  apparent  directions  of  the  wind  that  it  appears 
to  shift  its  direction  by  tacking  ship  ;  and  if  the 
difference  of  the  directions  be  observed  when  on 


84  Practical  Boat-Sailing, 

different  boards  (the  wind  on  both  tacks  being 
supposed  to  remain  constant,  and  the  yacht  to  have 
the  same  velocity,  and  to  sail  at  the  same  distance 
from  the  wind),  the  half-difference  will  be  equal 
to  the  angle  BAG.  By  knowing  this,  together  with 
the  velocity  of  the  yacht  B  C,  and  the  angle  B  C  A, 
we  may  obtain  the  true  velocity  of  the  wind ;  or  by 
knowing  the  velocity  of  the  wind  and  of  the  yacht, 
and  the  apparent  direction  of  the  wind,  we  may 
calculate  the  difference  between  the  true  and  appar- 
ent directions  of  the, wind. 

Thus,  if  the  velocity  of  a  yacht,  represented  by 
B  C,  be  7  miles  per  hour,  that  of  the  wind,  repre- 
sented by  A  B,  2  7  miles  per  hour,  and  the  angle 
with  the  yacht's  course,  with  the  apparent  direction 
of  the  wind  B  C  A,  equal  to  7^  points,  the  differ- 
ence between  the  true  and  apparent  directions  of 
the  wind  will  be  obtained  by  drawing  the  line  B  C, 
equal  to  7^  points ;  then  with  an  extent  equal  to 
2  7  miles,  taken  from  the  scale,  and  with  one  foot  in 
B,  describe  an  arc,  to  cut  the  line  AC  in  A ;  join 
A  B ;  then  the  angle  BAG,  being  measured,  will  be 
the  required  difference  between  the  true  and  ap- 
parent directions  of  the  wind. 

Sailing  in  my  yacht,  I  saw  a  lighthouse  bearing  E. 
by  N.,  and,  after  sailing  14  miles  N.  by  W.,  it 
bore  S.  E.  Required  the  distance  of  the  yacht 
from  the  lighthouse  at  both  stations. 


Use  of  the   Charts. 


SOLUTION.  —  Describe  the  compass  E.  S.  W.,  and 
let  its  centre  X  represent  the  place  of  the  yacht  at 
the  first  station  ;  draw  the  N.  by  W.  line,  X  Y, 
equal  to  14  miles,  and  Y  will  represent  the  second 
station. 

Draw  the  line  E.  by  N., 
X  Z,  of  an  indefinite 
length,  and  the  line  YZ 
parallel  to  the  S.  E.  and 
N.  \V.  line  of  the  compass  : 
the  point  of  intersection 
Z  will  represent  the  place 
of  the  lighthouse,  and  the 
distance  Y  Z,  being  meas- 
ured by  the  same  scale 
of  equal  parts  with  which  the  14  miles  of  course  is 
laid  off,  will  be  found  to  be  i6|  miles,  and  XZ  9^ 
miles. 

USE   OF   THE   CHARTS. 

Charts  can  be  purchased,  at  a  very  reasonable 
rate,  of  all  the  important  harbors  and  the  whole 
coast-line  of  the  United  States.  They  come  nicely 
backed  with  cloth,  so  as  to  stand  considerable  hard 
sea-usage.  They  should  be  kept,  when  not  in  use, 
rolled  up  in  a  large  tin  box  made  for  the  purpose, 
or  a  long,  narrow  wooden  trunk,  called  a  chart-box. 

In  using  charts,  great  care  should  be  taken  to  see 
whether  or  not  the  courses  laid  down  to  be  sailed 
are  magnetic  ones  ;  that  is,  with  the  variation  of  the 


86  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

compass  allowed.  Such  is  usually  the  case ;  but 
there  are  charts  made  where  the  variation  of  the 
compass  must  be  allowed  to  make  the  courses  true. 

Always  carefully  read  all  the  notes  upon  the  mar- 
gins of  a  chart :  one  will  often  run  across  an  item 
of  the  greatest  interest  or  importance.  Nearly  all 
charts  of  harbors  and  the  coast-line  will  be  found 
with  two  scales  of  miles  upon  them  ;  one  being 
marked  statute  miles,  and  the  other  nautical  miles. 

Now,  the  difference  is  this,  the  scale  that  is 
marked  statute  miles  means  a  mile  of  320  rods  of 
16^  feet  each,  or  1,760  yards  of  3  feet  each,  or 
5,280  feet;  whilst  a  nautical  mile  means  the  six- 
tieth part  of  a  degree  of  the  earth's  surface  meas- 
ured at  the  equator,  which  is  about  6,086.4  feet  in 
length. 

SOUNDINGS 

Are  very  regular  upon  the  American  coast ;  and 
if  the  time  of  tide  be  known,  and  the  note  concern- 
ing soundings,  on  the  margin  of  the  chart,  con- 
sulted, one  can  often,  when  caught  in  a  fog,  tell 
quite  correctly  the  position  of  the  yacht,  its  gen- 
eral place  upon  the  chart  being  known. 

THE  LEAD-LINE.  —  For  the  purpose  of  getting 
soundings,  the  lead-line  must  be  used,  of  which 
there  are  two  kinds,  —  the  dipsey  lead,  i.e.,  the  deep- 
sea  lead,  and  the  hand  lead.  The  deep-sea  lead 
consists  of  a  lead  sinker,  usually  about  twenty-five 
pounds  in  weight,  the  lower  part  of  which  is  hoi- 


The  Lead-Line.  87 

lowed  out,  and  filled  with  tallow,  when  it  is  said  to 
be  armed :  this  is  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  up  a 
specimen  of  the  bottom  which  it  strikes  upon  in  its 
descent,  often  thus  aiding  the  navigator  in  deter- 
mining his  position.  The  line  to  which  this  lead 
is  attached  is  coiled  up  in  a  half-barrel  or  tub,  and 
is  usually  a  hundred  fathoms  in  length,  a  fathom 
being  six  feet.  It  is  generally  as  large  as  one's  little 
finger,  and  is  laid  up  in  what  sailors  call  a  "  left- 
handed  coil,"  the  opposite  to  most  other  ropes  in 
common  use.  It  is  marked  up  to  twenty  fathoms 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  hand  lead-line,  and 
then  one  knot  for  every  ten  fathoms,  and  a  strip  of 
leather  for  each  five  fathoms.  The  manner  of  cast- 
ing the  deep-sea  lead  is  to  bring  the  yacht  to  the 
wind,  and  as  nearly  stationary  as  possible,  when 
the  lead  is  taken  by  hand  outside  of  all  the  rigging, 
forward  on  the  weather-side,  the  tub  remaining  aft ; 
the  person  forward  then  casts  the  lead  as  far  as 
possible  ahead  of  the  yacht,  singing  out  at  the 
same  moment,  "  Watch  !  Oh,  watch  !  "  and  the 
person  aft  at  the  tub  allows  the  line  to  be  taken 
out  by  the  lead  in  its  descent  as  fast  as  possible ; 
and  when  it  reaches  the  bottom  he  hauls  it  care- 
fully up  till  his  hand  hits  upon  the  knots,  the  num- 
ber of  which  determines  the  depth  ;  the  yacht  is 
then  kept  on  her  course,  and  the  line  hauled  in 
over  the  stern,  and  coiled  down  in  the  tub,  as  it 
comes  in,  for  immediate  use  again.  When  the  lead 


88  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

arrives  on  deck,  it  is  unbent  from  the  lead-line,  the 
arming  examined  and  scraped  off,  ready  for  a  new 
cast. 

HEAVING  THE  HAND  LEAD.  —  The  hand  lead  is 
used  in  a  different  manner,  and  is  the  most  perfect 
instrument  yet  devised  to  warn  the  yachtsman  or 
sailor  of  unknown  dangers  and  the  rapid  shoaling 
of  the  water,  or  approach  to  some  unknown  or 
unexpected  shoal. 

Custom  has,  from  time  immemorial,  marked  the 
lead-line  in  a  peculiar  and,  the  writer  does  not  hesi- 
tate to  say,  ridiculous  manner,  which  can  be  under- 
stood by  the  initiated  only.  But  that  it  may  be 
done  according  to  "Gunter,"  and  in  "ship-shape 
and  Bristol  fashion,"  the  following  explanation  is 
given  :  — 

Heaving  the  lead  is  done  usually  by  a  person 
who  is  placed  in  the  main-chains  for  that  purpose, 
on  the  weather  side,  or,  in  smaller  craft,  on  deck, 
forward,  just  clear  of  the  shrouds.  It  is  thrown 
whilst  the  yacht  is  under  way,  and  being  kept  on  her 
course,  and  the  results  announced  in  a  singing  voice 
by  the  one  casting ;  and,  when  the  water  becomes 
too  shoal,  the  yacht  is  put  about,  and  stands  oft 
from  the  danger  which  she  was  approaching.  The 
one  casting  the  lead  takes  hold  of  the  line  at  about 
a  fathom  from  it,  and  swings  it  to  and  fro  till 
enough  velocity  is  gained  to  swing  it  over  his  head  ; 
when  at  the  right  angle  it  is  released,  and  flies  for- 


Heaving  tlie  Hand  Lead.  89 

ward  in  the  air,  striking  the  water  far  in  advance  of 
the  yacht  and  the  bottom,  before  the  yacht  reaches 
the  place  where  it  struck  the  water,  so  that  the  line 
may  be  kept  perpendicular  for  a  moment  from  the 
yacht  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  the  distance 
measured  by  means  of  marks  upon  the  lead-line, 
which  are  as  follows  :  — 


At    I  fathom  . 

.     one  knot. 

2         " 

.     two  knots. 

3      "       • 

.     three  knots. 

6      " 

7      " 

.    a  red  rag. 

8      " 

.     nothing. 

9      "       • 

.     nothing. 

10      " 

.    leather  with  one  hole. 

ii       " 

.     one  knot. 

12         " 

.     two  knots. 

13         "          • 

.     nothing. 

14        " 

.     nothing. 

'5      "       • 

.    white  rag. 

16      " 

.     nothing. 

17      " 

.    red  rag. 

18      " 

.     nothing. 

19      " 

.     nothing. 

20         " 

.     leather  with  two  holes. 

Those  that  are  marked  are  called  "  marks,"  the 
others,  "  deeps  ;  "  and  a  lead-line  as  above  consists 
of  eleven  "  marks  "  and  nine  "  deeps." 

If  the  mark  of  three  fathoms  is  near  the  surface 


90  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

of  the  water,  the  caster  sings  out,  "  By  the  mark 
three!"  or,  if  such  be  the  case,  "By  the  deep 
eight !  "  and,  should  he  consider  the  depth  to  be  a 
quarter  or  half  more  than  any  particular  number, 
he  sings  out,  "And  a  quarter  six!"  or,  "A  half 
five  !  "  &c.  If  the  depth  is  estimated  to  be  three- 
quarters  more  than  any  particular  number,  he  calls 
it  a  quarter  less  than  the  next  higher  number; 
thus,  at  two  fathoms  and  three-quarters,  he  sings 
out,  "  A  quarter  less  three  !  " 

For  all  practical  purposes  a  lead-line  twenty 
fathoms  in  length,  but  marked  only  to  ten  fathoms, 
will  be  the  most  useful  for  yachts  and  small  sail- 
boats. This  line  should  be  marked  as  follows :  — 

At    I  fathom          .    '    .         .        .        .  one  knot. 

2  "  .....  two  knots. 

3  "  three  knots. 

4  "  four  knots. 

5  "  white  rag. 

6  "  .....  six  knots. 

7  "  .....  red  rag. 

8  "  blue  rag. 

9  "  nothing. 

10      "  piece  of  leather. 

A  small  piece  of  white  rag  may  also  be  inserted  at 
the  half-fathoms  between  two  and  three. 

EIGHT   BELLS, 'AND   WATCH   AND   WATCH. 

Time  at  sea  is  divided  differently  than  on  shore  ; 
and  the  day  commences  at  twelve  o'clock,  noon. 


Eight  Bells,  and  Watch  and  Watch.       91 

The  reason  of  this  is,  that  at  that  time  usually,  at 
sea,  the  navigator  determines  and  ascertains  the 
position  of  the  ship,  hence  the  true  time  ;  and  the 
clock  is  corrected  from  the  difference  in  longitude 
from  noon  of  the  preceding  day. 

The  time  of  twelve  o'clock  is  denoted  by  strik- 
ing the  vessel's  bell  eight  times  in  a  peculiar  man- 
ner, thus  :  by  sets  of  twos,  one,  two,  rapidly  follow- 
ing each  other,  then  a  pause  of  three  or  four 
seconds,  and  then  the  next  set  of  twos,  thus  :  one, 
two  —  one,  two  —  one,  two  —  one,  two  ;  whilst 
seven  bells  would  be  struck  thus  :  one,  two  —  one, 
two  —  one,  two  —  one  ;  and  three  bells  :  one,  two 
—  one  ;  four  bells  :  one,  two  —  one,  two. 

This  system  of  eight  strokes  of  the  bell  does  for 
the  whole  twenty-four  hours,  each  stroke  denoting 
one  half-hour :  hence  eight  bells  cover  a  space  of 
four  hours,  which  is  termed  a  watch,  and,  if  each 
watch  was  four  hours  long,  of  course  there  would 
be  six  such  watches  in  the  twenty  four  hours  ;  and 
the  crew,  divided  as  they  always  are  into  starboard 
and  port  watches,  would,  during  the  whole  voyage, 
have  just  the  same  hours  on  deck.  That  is  to  say, 
the  starboard  watch  would  come  on  deck  at  twelve 
o'clock  noon  every  day  of  the  voyage,  and  stay  till 
four  P.M. 

This  would  not  be  fair  to  the  other  watch  ;  and  to 
avoid  this  repetition,  and  to  divide  the  time  differ- 
ently each  day,  the  hours  from  four  to  eight  in  the 


92 


Practical  Boat-Sailing, 


afternoon  are  divided  up  into  what  are  called  dog- 
watches of  two  hours  each,  which  breaks  up  the 
daily  regularity,  and  changes  the  hours  ;  so  that  the 
starboard  watch  who  happen  to  be  on  deck  from 
twelve  to  four  P.M.  one  day  are  the  next  day  below 
during  the  same  hours,  and  the  port  watch  on 
deck  ;  and  thus  the  same  watches  come  round  every 
forty-eight  hours.  After  the  bell  is  struck  at  twelve 
noon  by  order  of  the  navigator  or  sailing-master, 
the  time  will  be  kept  as  follows  :  — 


12.00  o'clock,  noon 

12.30  "  P.M.  . 

i. oo  "  "  . 

1.30  "  "  . 

2.00  "  "  . 

2.30  "  "  . 

3.00  «  "  . 

3-30  "  "  • 

4.00  "  "  . 

4.30  "  "  . 

5.00  "  "  . 

5-30  "  "  • 

6.00  "  "  . 

6.30  "  "  . 

7.00  "  "  . 

7.30  «  «  . 

8.00  "  " 


8  bells. 

i  bell,    i 

2  bells. 

3     " 

4     " 

5     " 

Afternoon- 
Wat  ch. 

6     " 

7     " 

8     "       J 

i  bell.    >> 

2   bells.    [  First  Dog- 

1      "         (       Watch. 
° 

4     " 

5     "      1 

Second 
Watch. 


Eight  Bells,  and  ll'atch  and  W'atch.        93 


8.30  o'clock, 

P.M  

i  bell.    , 

9.00 

u 

2  bells. 

9-30        " 

IO.OO           " 

10.30 

11 
11 
11 

3     " 

4     " 

5     " 

First 
.      Nifht- 
Watch. 

11.00           " 

(I 

6     " 

11.30 

11 

7     " 

12.00           " 

midnight    .     . 

8     " 

12.30           " 

A.M  

i  bell.    ^ 

I.OO           " 

H 

2  bells. 

1.30 

"        .        .        .        . 

3     " 

Second 

2.00           " 

"        .        .        .        . 

4     " 

Night- 

2.30           " 

tt 

5     " 

'      Watck. 

3.00           " 

it 

6     " 

3-3° 

U 

7     " 

4.00        " 

"        .        .        .        . 

8     "      J 

4-30        " 

It 

i  bell.    ^ 

5.00        " 

"        .        .        .        . 

2  bells. 

5-30 

"        .        .        .        . 

3     " 

6.00 

"        .        .        .        . 

4     " 

Morning- 

6.30        « 

U 

5     " 

Watch. 

7.00        " 

"     .     .     .     . 

6-    " 

7-30        " 

M 

7     " 

8.00 

"        .        .        .        . 

8     "      J 

8.30        " 

tl 

i  bell.    >> 

9.00        " 

M 

2  bells. 

9.30 

ft 

3     " 

10.00           " 

"        .        .        .        . 

4     " 

Forenoon- 

10.30        " 

tt 

5     " 

'      Watch. 

1I.OO           " 

" 

6     " 

11.30 

n 

7     " 

I2.OO           " 

noon      .     .     . 

8     "      J 

94  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

In  cases  of  emergency,  usually  to  take  in  sail, 
whether  by  night  or  day,  "  All  hands  on  deck  to 
take  in  sail,  ahoy  !  "  "  Heave  up  my  hearties  !  "  is 
bellowed  into  the  forecastle,  and  comes  to  the  ears 
of  the  unwilling  sleepers  of  the  watch  below. 

BOXING   THE   COMPASS 

Is  the  term  used  for  repeating  the  thirty-two  points 
of  the  compass-card  by  memory  from  the  right 
hand  to  the  left,  (and  then  back  again,)  commencing 
at  north,  and  proceeding  to  north  by  east,  north, 
north-east,  &c.  It  is  necessary  that  the  amateur 
and  young  salt  should  acquire  this,  if  he  desires  to 
ever  be  able  to  make  use  of  the  most  simple  prob- 
lems in  boat-sailing,  the  use  of  the  charts,  the  find- 
ing of  the  position  of  the  yacht  by  cross-bearings, 
&c.  In  fact,  it  is  indispensable  ;  and  the  task  should 
be  commenced  at  once.  It  should  not  be  gotten 
by  rote,  without  rhyme  or  reason  ;  but,  in  repeating 
the  names  of  the  points,  the  compass-card,  or  a 
printed  imitation  of  it,  should  always  be  kept  before 
tJie  eye.1 

After  acquiring  the  regular  thirty-two  points,  the 
subdivision  of  quarter  and  half  points  are  to  be  gone 
into.  The  smallest  division  used  in  navigation  is  a 
quarter  of  a  point ;  thus  your  course  may  be  N.  by 
E.  £  E.,  or  N.  by  E.  £  E.,  or  N.  by  E.  f  E.  •  but 
no  smaller  subdivision  is  ever  made  between  two 
courses  than  one-quarter  of  a  point.  This  is  as  near 

1  See  frontispiece. 


Boxing  //if'   Compass.  95 

as  the  yacht  can  be  kept  to  her  course,  and  is  as 
near  as  the  eye  can  line  a  course  in  an  observation 
for  cross-bearings.  If,  however,  one  desires  more 
minuteness,  it  may  be  well  to  state  that  each  point 
of  the  compass  contains  11°  15',  or  360°  for  the 
whole  thirty-two  points.  The  names  of  the  points 
of  the  compass,  commencing  at  north,  and  going 
towards  east,  are  as  follows.  The  principal  points, 
as  they  are  called,  which  are  marked  larger  than  the 
others  on  the  compass-card,  are  here  designated  by 
capitals. 

1.  NORTH N. 

2.  North  by  east N.  by  E. 

3.  North,  north-east N.N.E. 

4.  North-east  by  north N.E.  by  N. 

5.  NORTH-EAST N.E. 

6.  North-east  by  east N.E.  by  E. 

7.  East,  north-east E.N.E. 

8.  East  by  north E.  by  N. 

9.  EAST E. 

10.  East  by  south E.  by  S. 

11.  East,  south-east E.S.E. 

12.  South-east  by  east S.E.  by  E. 

13.  SOUTH-EAST S.E. 

14.  South-east  by  south  .-  S.E.  by  S. 

15.  South,  south-east S.S.E. 

1 6.  South  by  east S.  by  E. 

17.  SOUTH S. 

18.  South  by  west S.  by  W. 

if;.  South,  south-west S.S.NV. 

20.  South-west  by  south          ....     S.W.  by  S. 

21.  SOUTH-WEST     .        .  ,    S.W. 


96  Piactical  Boat-Sailing. 

22.  South-west  by  west S.W.  by  W. 

23.  West,  south-west W.S.W. 

24.  West  by  south W.  by  S. 

25.  WEST W. 

26.  West  by  north W.  by  N. 

27.  West,  north-west W.N.W. 

28.  North-west  by  west N.W.  by  W. 

29.  NORTH-WEST N.W. 

30.  North-west  by  north          ....  N.W.  by  N. 

31.  North,  north-west N.N.W. 

32.  North  by  west N.  by  W. 

If  any  one  desires  to  be  very  salt,  he  will  pro- 
nounce these  points  as  follows  :  — 

Nor',  nor'-west N.  N.W. 

Noothe  by  east  .         .         .        .-        .        .  N.  by  E. 

Sou'  by  west    .  .        .         .         .         .         .  S.  by  W. 

Sou',  sou'-west S.  S.W. 

And,  in  fact,  the  above  is  the  way  that  they  are 
pronounced  by  all  sailors. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  compass  does 
not  move ;  that  is  to  say,  the  yacht  moves,  which 
seemingly  makes  the  card  in  the  compass-box  re- 
volve. It  is  absolutely  an  optical  illusion  to  "  land- 
lubbers ; "  and  except  by  the  jar  of  the  yacht, 
or  by  pitching  about  in  a  heavy  sea,  the  compass- 
card  does  not  revolve,  but  is  stationary,  and  it  is 
the  change  of  the  course  of  the  yacht  which  seems 
to  give  it  motion. 


To  Place  a   Compass  to  Steer  by.          97 

TO   PLACE   A    COMPASS   TO   STEER    BY. 

The  periphery  of  the  circular  casing  in  which 
the  card  revolves  should  be  marked  plainly  with 
a  perpendicular  black  line  ;  and  this  black  line 
should,  by  moving  the  compass-box,  be  brought  to 
bear  in  a  direct  line  with  the  keel  of  the  yacht,  and 
the  box  secured  in  that  position.  One  has  then 
only  to  move  the  helm  to  bring  each  and  every 
point  on  the  compass-card  opposite  to  this  black 
mark  on  the  compass-box,  and,  having  once  brought 
the  point  needed  to  this  position,  keep  it  there  by 
moving  the  helm  when  necessary ;  and  this  act  of 
keeping  it  there  is  called  "  keeping  the  vessel  on 
her  course." 

For  instance  :  if  the  wind  allows,  suppose  by  the 
chart  it  is  desired  to  steer  N.E.,  to  reach  a  cer- 
tain place.  Go  on  deck,  and,  by  moving  the  helm, 
bring  the  N.E.  point  of  the  compass-card  oppo- 
site to  the  black  perpendicular  mark  on  the  com- 
pass-casing, and  keep  on  your  way,  after  having 
trimmed  your  sails  so  as  to  hold  the  wind  properly. 
The  yacht  will  not  keep  on  N.E.  exactly,  but  will 
yaw  to  and  fro,  wJiich  will  seem  as  if  tlic  compass- 
card  was  moving;  and  this  will  occur  more  or  less 
according  to  the  roughness  of  the  water.  And,  if 
one  looks  too  much  to  the  compass,  the  yacht  will 
be  off  the  course  before  the  compass  shows  it  : 
it  is  therefore  well,  if  possible,  lo  get  some  bearing, 


98  Practical  Boat  Sailing. 

miles  ahead,  that  cuts  the  weather-shrouds  or  jib- 
stay,  when  the  yacht  is  on  her  course  ;  then,  by  look- 
ing at  that,  one  can  easily  see  when  she  is  off  her 
course,  casting  an  eye  to  the  compass  once  in  a 
while.  In  the  night-time  very  fine  steering  can  be 
done  by  picking  out  a  star,  and  steering  by  it,  after 
getting  it  to  range  on  some  part  of  the  yacht.  Steer- 
ing by  a  compass  is  a  great  accomplishment :  few 
amateurs  do  it  well.  It  used  to  be  said  at  sea,  that 
the  best  helmsmen  looked  at  the  head  of  the  vessel 
oftener  than  the  compass,  and  were  thus  enabled  to 
check  with  the  helm  any  disposition  of  the  vessel 
to  leave  the  true  course,  long  before  the  departure 
was  shown  by  the  compass-card. 

VELOCITY    OF    WIND. 

Generally  speaking,  a  wind  that  blows  sixteen 
miles  an  hour  is  called  a  fresh  breeze.  One  that 
blows  eighteen  miles  an  hour  calls  for  a  single  reef; 
and  twenty  miles,  a  close  reef.  Twenty-four  miles 
an  hour  is  a  gale  ;  whilst  thirty  miles  an  hour  is  a 
fresh  gale. 

THE    LOG,    REEL,    AND   HALF-MINUTE   GLASS. 

This  method  of  ascertaining  how  fast  the  yacht 
is  moving  through  the  water,  and  hence  to  calculate 
her  position,  has  been  almost  done  away  with  by 
the  use  of  what  is  termed  the  "patent  log,"  which  is 
now  almost  universally  used,  and  which  consists  of 


The  Log,  Reel,  and  Half-Minute  Glass.    99 

a  small  propeller  of  brass,  which  is  towed  astern, 
and  records  its  own  revolutions  on  dials.  But,  to 
enable  one  to  use  the  common  log-line  and  glass, 
the  following  description  is  written :  The  half- 
minute  glass  is  of  the  same  form  as  an  hour-glass, 
and  contains  such  a  quantity  of  sand  as  will  run 
through  its  neck  in  twenty-eight  seconds  of  time ; 
or  a  watch  with  a  second-hand  may  be  used,  if  the 
glass  is  not  handy.  The  log  is  a  piece  of  thin 
board  of  a  quadrantal  form,  about  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  quarter-section  of  the  bottom  of  a  com- 
mon water-pail,  loaded  on  the  circular  side  with 
enough  lead  to  make  it  swim  upright  in  the  water. 
To  this  is  fastened  a  line,  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  fathoms  in  length,  called  the  log-line,  which  is 
divided  into  intervals  called  knots,  and  is  wound  on 
a  reel  which  turns  very  easily. 

To  ascertain  the  velocity  at  which  the  yacht  is 
sailing  is  called  heaving  the  log,  and  is  performed 
as  follows  :  one  person  holds  the  reel,  and  another 
the  half- minute  glass,  whilst  a  third  throws  the  log 
over  the  stern  on  the  lee  side ;  and,  when  he  ob- 
serves that  the  stray  line  has  run  off  (which  is 
about  ten  fathoms),  and  the  first  mark  (which  is 
generally  a  red  rag)  has  passed  the  stern,  he  sings 
out,  Turn :  the  glass-holder  answers,  Turn,  and, 
watching  the  glass,  the  moment  it  has  run  out,  sings 
out,  Stop.  The  reel  being  immediately  stopped,  the 
last  mark  run  off  shows  the  number  of  knots  that 


ioo  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

the  yacht  has  sailed  during  the  last  hour,  if  the 
wind  has  been  constant. 

The  log-line  is  marked  as  follows :  allow  ten 
fathoms  for  stray  line,  and  then  insert  a  red  rag,  and 
at  every  47.6  feet  mark  the  line  as  follows  :  at  one, 
one  leather ;  at  two,  two  knots ;  at  three,  three 
knots ;  and  also  have  a  small  mark  at  each  half- 
knot,  and  so  on  to  ten  and  twelve  knots. 

The  principle  of  the  log-line  is,  that  a  knot  is 
the  same  part  of  a  sea-mile  that  half  a  minute  is  of 
an  hour  :  therefore  the  length  of  a  knot  should  be 
one  hundred  and  twentieth  the  length  of  a  sea- 
mile,  or  fifty-one  feet ;  but,  as  it  is  more  convenient 
to  have  the  knot  divided  into  eight  parts  of  six  feet 
each,  the  proportional  reduction  is  necessary  in  the 
half-minute  glass. 

BUOYS. 

In  entering  harbors,  the  red  buoys  are  to  be  left 
upon  the  starboard  hand,  and  the  black  buoys  upon 
the  port  hand. 

MAN   OVERBOARD. 

Throw  overboard  at  once  any  light  object  that 
will  float,  such  as  a  stool,  oar,  boat-hook,  or  life- 
preserver,  for  him  to  grasp ;  then  bring  the  yacht 
at  once  to  the  wind  and  heave  her  to,  and  pick  up 
the  man  with  the  tender,  or  by  going  about  and 
standing  for  him.  Don't  look  out  astern  for  the 
man  where  he  disappeared,  but  out  on  the  beam, 
which  will  be  his  position  when  the  yacht  is  brought 
to  the  wind. 


Practical  Hints  on  Boat-Sailing.         101 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PRACTICAL   HINTS   ON    BOAT-SAILING. 

REMEMBER,  in  the  first  place,  that  no  small  boat 
fit  to  be  called  a  sail-boat  can  capsize,  unless  the 
sail  is  confined  by  the  sheet  being  made  fast. 

If  the  sail  is  loose,  and  the  boom,  or  lower  leach 
of  the  sail,  as  the  case  may  be,  can  move  in  a 
direction  parallel  to  the  wind,  or  in  the  "  wind's 
eye  "  as  sailors  would  say,  the  boat  cannot  be  upset 
by  an  ordinary  gust  of  wind. 

In  other  words,  in  all  fore-and-aft  sails,  such  as 
are  used  almost  the  world  over  for  small  sail-boats, 
the  sheet,  or  rope  that  confines  the  after-part  of  the 
sail  to  the  stern  part  of  the  boat,  is  the  key  to  the 
whole  science  of  boat-sailing. 

If  one  knows  how  to  use  the  sheet  properly, 
one  knows  how  to  sail  a  boat  with  comparative 
safety.  Of  course  it  is  supposed  that  he  should 
also  understand  flaws  of  wind  and  their  effects. 

It  is  the  flaws  of  wind  caught  by  the  sail — more 
than  it  can  bear  —  that  capsize  a  boat ;  and,  if  the 


IO2  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

wind  that  has  force  enough  to  do  this  could  be 
"  spilled  "  out  of  the  sail,  the  boat  would  be  imme- 
diately relieved. 

Therefore  to  insure  safety,  the  person  steering  a 
boat  should  never  belay  the  sheet,  but  keep  it  in 
hand,  so  as  to  be  able  to  slack  it  off  gradually,  or 
cast  it  off  entirely  at  a  moment's  notice.  To  do 
this,  only  one  turn  should  be  taken  round  the  cleat ; 
so  that  the  sheet  will  slip  under  the  force  of  a  gust 
of  wind,  when  the  hand  retaining  it  in  place  slack- 
ens it  in  the  slightest  degree. 

If  the  whole  sail  points  towards  the  wind's  eye, 
it  no  longer  has  any  effect  upon  the  boat.  The 
sail  then  shakes  in  the  wind  exactly  as  a  flag  does 
from  the  top  of  a  flag-staff,  the  wind  passing  by  on 
both  sides.  Should  the  sheet  be  hauled  aft,  the 
sail  would  be  filled  with  wind  upon  one  side,  and,  if 
the  wind  had  strength  to  overcome  the  gravity  of 
the  boat,  capsize  her. 

Or,  if  the  boat  is  so  heavy  ballasted  that  its  gravi- 
ty cannot  be  readily  overcome,  the  mast  or  sail  are 
liable  to  be  carried  away,  and  danger  incurred  on 
account  of  the  towing  mast  and  sail.  These  would 
most  likely  draw  the  boat  into  the  trough  of  the 
sea,  where  she  would  be  swamped  almost  instantly. 

Jt  does  not  follow,  because  the  slacking  of  the 
sheet  is  a  safe  thing  to  do,  that  it  should  always  be 
done.  With  boatmen  who  are  thoroughly  prac- 
tised, it  seldom  is  done ;  for  they  can  obtain  the 


Practical  Hints  on  Boat-Sailing.         103 

same  result  with  the  rudder  by  bringing  the  boat 
into  the  wind  until  the  sail  shakes,  with  the  sheet 
still  fast.  This  gives  more  control  of  the  boat  than 
would  be  the  case  if  the  boom  were  out  to  leeward, 
perhaps  dragging  in  the  water,  on  account  of  the 
pressure  of  the  wind  upon  the  hull  and  mast. 

The  very  best  thing  to  do  in  a  sudden  squall  is  to 
use  a  modification  of  both  these  methods  ;  i.e.,  slack 
off  the  sheet  for  a  foot  or  two,  so  that  the  sail,  before 
it  can  fill  with  wind,  will  be  at  such  an  angle  with 
the  hull,  that  the  shock  upon  the  latter  cannot  be 
great.  This  gives  one  more  command  of  the  boat, 
and  insures  quicker  movement  of  the  hull,  and 
hence  quicker  obedience  to  the  helm,  should  a 
sudden  change  occur.  This  slacking  of  the  sheet 
also  prevents  the  boat  from  going  about  on  the 
other  tack,  should  she  be  brought  too  suddenly  to 
the  wind. 

With  an  experienced  hand  at  the  helm,  unless 
the  squall  is  very  severe,  there  is  no  need  of  luffing 
so  as  to  shake  the  sail  to  any  great  degree.  The 
slightest  movement  of  the  tiller  will  keep  the  sail 
just  quivering  in  the  wind,  the  boat  still  advancing, 
so  that  she  will  not  lose  steerage-way  ;  thus  enabling 
one  to  at  once  luff  up  nearer  to  the  wind,  or 
change  the  boat's  position  rapidly,  should  the  wind, 
which  is  often  the  case,  shift  its  direction  suddenly. 

Nothing  is  of  more  importance  than  to  keep 
steerage-way  on  the  boat,  as  it  is  only  in  the  ut- 


IO4  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

most  emergency  that  the  sheet  should  be  slacked 
wholly  off,  and  the  headway  lost. 

If  the  boat  is  well  under  command  when  the 
squall  is  seen  advancing,  then  the  method  of  steer- 
ing into  the  wind's  eye  may  be  safely  adopted, 
anil  is,  in  fact,  the  better  and  more  seamanlike 
method. 

In  small  sail-boats  on  ponds,  or  arms  of  the  sea, 
when  a  thunder-shower  is  coming  up,  — which  can 
always  be  seen  in  time,  —  it  is,  as  a  rule,  much  the 
safest  plan  to  take  the  boat  as  quickly  as  possible 
towards  the  nearest  harbor  or  land,  unless  rocky, 
inaccessible,  or  dangerous ;  in  which  case,  furl  all 
sail  and  let  go  an  anchor,  paying  out  such  a  scope 
of  cable  that  the  boat  will  ride  easily.  Then  wait 
for  the  coming  blast. 

However  severe  it  may  be,  the  thunder-gust  can 
then  do  no  harm.  With  an  oar  you  can  head  the 
boat  towards  the  coming  blast,  so  that  she  will  feel 
but  little  of  its  force,  and  prevent  the  dragging  of 
the  anchor. 

Thunder-showers  are  particularly  dangerous,  how- 
ever, from  the  fact  that  they  almost  always  make 
their  way  directly  against  the  prevailing  wind. 
When  the  two  winds  meet,  and  one  finds  one's  self 
in  the  vortex  between  them,  it  is  very  difficult  to 
command  a  boat.  Each  wind,  fighting  for  the 
supremacy,  will  fill  the  sails  with  gusts,  for  which 
one  does  not  more  than  have  time  to  prepare  before 


Practical  Hints  on  Boat-Sailing.         105 

• 

a  counter-gust  will  throw  them  aback,  or  violently 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  boat.  Often,  in  fact, 
the  wind,  blowing  a  gale  all  the  time,  will  in  less 
than  five  minutes  have  visited  every  point  of  the 
compass.  An  anchor  down  and  a  furled  sail  are  the 
best  for  all  small,  open,  or  half-decked  boats  or 
yachts  in  such  an  emergency. 

Boats  are  often  capsized  by  persons  on  board 
suddenly  scrambling  to  the  windward,  or  upper 
side,  when  a  squall  buries  the  lee  gunwale  in  the 
water.  Should  the  boat  at  this  moment  be  taken 
aback  by  a  counter  squall  or  flaw,  she  will  almost 
surely  capsize,  for  in  one  moment  the  windward 
side  becomes  the  leeward  side  ;  and  the  mass  of 
weight  hanging  to  what  was,  a  moment  before,  the 
weather-side,  will  carry  the  boat  over.  It  is  too 
late  to  try  and  struggle  back  again  :  the  bodies  are 
all  in  the  wrong  position  to  be  able  to  turn  around 
inboard  towards  the  centre  of  the  boat.  In  their 
helpless  postures  they  face  the  waves  that  are  ready 
to  devour  them. 

The  safest  position  in  an  open  boat,  when  pre- 
paring for  an  approaching  squall,  is,  for  all  except 
the  helmsman,  to  sit  down  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  as  near  the  centre  as  possible,  thus  being  safe 
from  any  blows  from  the  boom  of  the  sail,  and  in- 
creasing the  steadiness  of  the  boat  in  a  marked 
degree.  Here  they  act  as  ballast,  and  do  much 
good  in  keeping  the  boat  upright. 


io6  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

To  the  above  knowledge  should  be  added  also 
the  science  of  reefing  the  sails  of  a  boat  quickly 
and  neatly,  so  that  she  will  stand  up  under  a  great 
pressure  of  wind. 

The  mistake  most  frequently  made  is  to  neglect 
to  reef  till  it  is  too  late.  Landsmen  scarcely  ever 
calculate  how  quickly  wind  moves,  and  how  sud- 
denly a  change  in  the  weather  takes  place.  It  is 
easy  to  reef  while  there  is  time,  but  sometimes 
almost  impossible  if  too  long  delayed.  Reefing 
saves  one  from  much  anxiety.  The  boat  that  with 
her  whole  sail  would  be  cranky  and  dangerous 
plunges  along  buoyantly  through  the  summer  gale 
when  her  sails  are  properly  reefed. 

With  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  sheet  and 
rudder,  and  how  to  reef  a  sail,  there  ought  to  be 
no  accidents,  even  in  very  small  boats ;  but  the 
trouble  is,  that  too  many  tyros  are  allowed  to  invite 
unsuspecting  ladies  and  young  girls  into  their  boats, 
they  not  understanding  the  first  rudiments  of  a  real 
nautical  knowledge,  of  how  to  manage  a  craft  in 
times  of  danger. 

A  boat  is  like  a  good  horse,  —  it  will  always  do 
the  best  it  can.  It  will  not  capsize  if  it  can  help 
it ;  but,  if  mismanaged  in  time  of  emergency,  it  is 
a  dangerous  plaything.  Properly  handled,  it  is 
amazing,  almost  incredible,  what  can  be  done  with 
a  small  open  boat,  with  a  common  lug-sail,  and 
what  weather  it  will  live  through. 


Practical  Hints  on  Boat-Sailing,         107 

But  without  knowledge,  and  knowing  just  what 
to  do  in  dangerous  times,  this  pleasant  summer  sail 
is  a  treacherous  pastime. 


io8  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

A   SHORT   CRUISE   WITH   A   SLOOP-YACHT,  ILLUSTRATING 
THE   COMMON   SEA- MANOEUVRES. 

"  WELL,  uncle  Charley,  when  are  you  going  to 
give  me  a  sail  in  your  yacht?  You  know,  that, 
although  I  have  sailed  a  little,  I  look  forward  with 
the  greatest  impatience  to  a  trip  with  you  ;  so  that 
I  may  become  posted  in  all  respects,  and  finally 
turn  out  a  first-class  sailor." 

"  Your  ambition  is  a  worthy  one,  Tom  ;  and  I  am 
willing  to  gratify  it.  But  it  is  yet  very  early  in  the 
season  ;  and  I  am  afraid  that  we  shall  encounter 
some  dirty  weather,  should  we  attempt  now  to  make 
a  trip." 

"Well,  that  is  the  very  thing  that  I  want  to 
encounter,"  said  Tom.  "  Besides,  you  have  quite 
a  large  yacht,  and  every  thing  in  apple-pie  order ; 
whilst  I  only  have  a  little  bit  of  an  open  boat  at  my 
home,  and  really  know  but  little  of  the  science  of 
boat-sailing,  and  nothing  of  the  technical  language 
or  discipline  of  a  well-appointed  vessel." 


A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop -Yacht.     109 

Thus  spoke  Tom  Coffin,  a  young  man  of  some 
seventeen  years,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  his  uncle, 
Capt.  Charles  Coffin,  a  middle-aged  retired  sea- 
captain,  who  knew  a  vessel  from  her  stem  to  her 
stern,  and  who  retained  his  youthful  passion  for  the 
water,  and  enjoyed  himself  thoroughly  during  the 
summer  months  in  his  beautiful  yacht  "  Nancy 
Lee." 

"  By  the  way,  uncle  Charley,  you  have  not  told 
me  any  thing  yet  about  your  yacht ;  and  you  know 
I  have  never  seen  her.  How  large  is  she  ?  " 

"  She  is  about  thirty  feet  over  all,"  said  his  uncle. 

"  How  is  she  rigged  ?  Tell  me  all  about  her, 
uncle,  won't  you? 

"  Well,  the  '  Nancy  Lee  '  was  built  two  years  ago, 
and  is  what  is  called  a  '  centre-board  sloop ; '  that 
is,  she  is  shallow,  and  broad  of  beam,  and  is  rigged 
as  a  sloop.  She  has  a  good  comfortable  cabin,  and 
sound  spars,  and  strong  and  durable  canvas,  and 
good  ground-tackle,  and  I  think  she  will  compare 
favorably  with  any  of  her  class.  She  is  not  so  fast 
as  some,  being,  as  I  said,  of  good  beam,  and  her 
spars  and  sails  are  not  too  large  for  rough  weather  ; 
but  I  consider  her  a  first-class  boat  for  outside 
work,  safe,  strong,  and  easily  managed." 

"  How  many  crew  do  you  carry,  uncle  Charley  ?  " 

"  Well,  as  a  general  rule,  I  have  only  Bob  Stevens 
with  me,  who  made,  if  you  remember,  many  voy- 
ages to  sea  with  me,  and  is  a  true,  able  seaman 


no  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

in  every  sense  of  the  word.  He  usually  keeps  the 
'  Nancy  '  in  order  for  me,  and  acts  as  '  cook  and  all 
hands  ; '  although,  when  I  am  going  on  a  cruise  of 
a  week  or  two,  I  usually  take  with  me  also  Widow 
Tompkins's  son,  who  is  smart  and  active,  and  who, 
if  he  will  only  take  a  voyage  round  the  Horn,  will, 
I  prophesy,  yet  turn  out  a  good  sailor.  But  you 
shall  take  his  place." 

"  Is  the  yacht  all  ready  now?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  replied  uncle  Charley.  "  She  has 
been  at  her  moorings  the  last  two  weeks.  But  I 
thought  I  would  give  you  a  day  or  two  to  get  over 
your  journey  before  speaking  about  a  cruise  ;  but  I 
see  that  young  blood  will  not  be  restrained." 

"  And  have  you  every  thing  on  board  ready  for  a 
cruise?"  asked  Tom. 

"  Yes,  every  thing,"  replied  his  uncle ;  "  for, 
being  an  oLl  sailor,  I  like  to  have  every  thing  pre- 
pared. Now,  on  board  the  '  Nancy  Lee  '  you  will 
find,  I  will  be  bound,  every  thing  that  is  needful  for 
a  craft  of  her  size  ;  such  as  compass,  charts,  signal- 
lights,  barometer,  lead -line,  log,  and  all  that  is  need- 
ful to  handle  her  in  a  seamanlike  manner  in  all 
weathers." 

"Well,  uncle,  when  will  you  start?  Have  you 
provisions  on  board  ?  " 

"  Every  thing  is  on  board  ;  and,  as  you  have  in- 
oculated me,  I  suppose  we  might  as  well  get  under 
way  to-morrow  morning  on  the  young  ebb  :  so  take 


A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop -Yacht,      in 

yourself  up  aloft,  young  man,  and  'turn  in,'  and  be 
prepared  to  turn  out  at  about  one  bell  in  the  morn- 
ing watch  ;  and  I  will  go  down  to  the  landing,  and 
see  that  Bob  has  every  thing  in  ship-shape." 

"  Come,  rouse  out,  youngster !  it  is  past  one 
bell,"  sang  out  the  cheery  voice  of  uncle  Charley 
at  Tom's  door  the  next  morning ;  and  hurrying  on 
his  clothes,  and  taking  a  small  valise  filled  with  a 
change  or  two  fit  for  sea-use,  he  was  soon  by  his 
uncle's  side. 

"  Well,  it  is  going  to  be  a  lovely  morning,  if  it  is 
only  the  loth  of  May,"  said  Capt.  Coffin. 

"  Why,  how  do  you  know,  uncle  Charley?  It  is 
as  dark  as  pitch  yet." 

"  Well,  my  boy,  when  you  are  as  old  as  I  am, 
you  will  know  how,  by  many  signs,  to  forecast  the 
weather,  even  in  the  night-time.  But  let  us  hurry 
along,  and  get  on  board,  as  I  want  to  take  advantage 
of  this  ebb  to  get  outside  before  the  flood  makes." 

Arriving  at  the  landing,  the  following  conversa- 
tion took  place  :  — 

" '  Nancy,'  ahoy  !  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  " 

"Is  that  you,  Bob?" 

"  Yes,  captain." 

"  Come  ashore  in  the  tender,  and  set  us  on 
board  !" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  " 


112  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

The  small  boat  soon  reached  the  landing ;  and 
our  friends  were  soon  alongside  the  "  Nancy  Lee," 
and  quickly  on  board. 

"  Now,  Bob,"  said  Capt.  Coffin,  "  have  you  got 
hot  coffee  and  biscuit  ready?  " 

"  Yes,  captain,  all  ready,  and  humming  hot  on  the 
stove." 

"  Well,  then,  we  will  go  below,  Bob,  and  you  can 
serve  it  in  the  cabin  ;  for  it  is  well  to  get  something 
hot  down  before  facing  this  damp  morning  air." 

After  each  had  drunk  a  good  hot  mug  of  strong 
coffee  without  milk,  and  eaten  a  good  large  sea- 
biscuit,  Capt.  Coffin  and  Tom  appeared  again  on 
deck,  and  preparations  were  made  to  get  under 
way. 

"  Have  you  got  the  stops  off  of  the  mainsail, 
Bob?" 

"  Yes,  captain  :  they  are  all  off." 

"  Then  go  forward,  you  two,"  said  Capt.  Coffin, 
"  and  hoist  away  the  mainsail.  You  take  the  peak- 
halliards,  Tom  ;  and  you  the  throat,  Bob.  That's 
the  way !  Up  she  goes !  [Cheerily.]  Avast, 
there,  Tom  !  you  are  hoisting  too  fast  on  the  peak, 
and  have  jammed  the  hoops  round  the  mast,  so  that 
Bob  can't  get  an  inch  on  the  throat-halliards.  Slack 
away  a  little  !  Handsomely  :  there,  that  will  do  ! 
Now  hoist  away.  Belay  the  peak-halliards  !  Now 
go  over  and  take  in  the  slack,  whilst  Bob  swigs 
off  on  the  throat-halliards :  that  will  do.  Belay  ! 


A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop -Yacht.      113 

Now  over  to  the  peak,  and  stand  by  to  peak  it  up, 
whilst  I  let  go  the  main-sheet,  and  lift  up  the  main- 
boom.  So  !  That  will  do.  Belay  !  Now  coil  the 
halliards  down  snug,  and  lay  aft  here,  Tom,  and 
tend  the  jib-sheet.  —  Are  the  gaskets  off  the  jib, 
Bob?" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!     All  off  I" 

"  Then  let  go  your  downhaul,  and  run  her  up  ! 

"  Now,  Tom,  I  want  to  cast  to  starboard  ;  and,  as 
the  yacht  is  now  lying  head  to  wind,  when  Bob  has 
the  jib  up,  I  want  you  to  trim  down  flat  on  the  port 
jib-sheet,  and  hold  on  till  I  tell  you  to  let  go.  —  Now, 
Bob,  is  that  jib  chock  up?" 

"  Yes,  captain." 

"  All  right,  then  ;  slip  your  moorings,  and  let  her 
slide  !  Haul  aft  the  port  jib-sheet,  Tom  ;  and  lay 
aft  here.  Bob,  and  help  shove  this  boom  out  to  star- 
board, whilst  I  put  the  helm  to  port.  There,  she 
pays  off  all  right !  Down  with  the  centre-board, 
Bob  !  —  Let  go  the  jib-sheet,  and  trim  down  to  star- 
board, Tom  !  That  will  do.  Belay  ! 

"  There  !  Don't  she  move  through  the  water 
well?  Just  a  nice  working-breeze.  And  see  the 
glimmer  of  the  breaking  day  over  there  to  the  east- 
ward !  I  wonder  if  we  can  fetch  by  Rouse's  Point 
without  going  about.  I  fear  not ;  but  we  shall  see 
long  before  we  get  there.  There  is  plenty  of  time. 

"  Now,  Tom,  do  you  see  that  little  light  on  shore, 
just  forward  of  the  weather  fore-rigging?  Come 
and  stand  just  where  I  am,  and  see  if  you  see  it." 


1 14  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

"Yes,  uncle,  I  see  it  all  right." 

"  Well,  take  the  helm,  and  keep  her  just  as  she 
goes,  with  that  light  cutting  the  weather-rigging,  as 
a  course.  She  steers  like  a  pilot-boat,  and  you  will 
have  no  trouble.  —  Bob,  keep  a  good  lookout  there 
forward,  whilst  I  go  below  to  have  a  look  at  the 
chart." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  " 

"  Now,  Tom,  I  have  looked  carefully  at  the  chart, 
and  I  know  this  harbor  well ;  but  the  wind  is  so 
scant,  that  I  am  afraid  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
lie  by  Rouse's  Point  without  going  about ;  and  I  had 
rather  do  it  now  than  when  we  get  farther  down, 
and  nearer  to  the  point,  for  there  are  some  bad 
rocks  make  off:  so  I  think  that  we  will  go  about 
to  make  all  sure. 

"  Ready  about  ! 

"  Come  aft,  Bob,  and  tend  the  lee  jib-sheet !  — And 
you  look  out  for  the  weather  one,  Tom  !  All  ready  ! 
Hard  a-lee  !  Let  go  the  jib-sheet !  Avast  haul- 
ing, Tom  :  you  are  too  quick  !  —  Trim  down,  Bob  ! 
—  Now  let  draw,  and  trim  down  flat,  Tom,  and 
belay  !  There,  she  begins  to  trot  again  !  We  can't 
stand  very  far  in  this  direction  ;  for  we  are  crossing 
the  channel  at  about  right  angles,  and  it  is  not  more 
than  a  mile  and  a  half  wide  hereabouts ;  and  I 
don't  want  to  be  picked  up  by  any  of  these  flats  on 
an  ebb  tide,  and  don't  mean  to  ;  and  yet  I  want  to 
stand  over  just  as  far  as  I  can,  so  as  to  clear  Rouse's 


A  Short  Cruise  until  a  Sloop -Yacht.      115 

Point  on  the  next  tack.  There  comes  the  daylight 
at  last  !  Is  it  not  a  beautiful  sight,  Tom?  —  Come, 
l!ob,  jump  below,  and  get  up  the  hand  lead,  and 
give  us  a  few  casts  from  the  weather-rigging. 

"Are  you  all  ready?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  " 

"  Then  cast." 

BOB.  — And  a  quarter  less  five. 

"  That  is  plenty  of  water  ;  isn't  it,  Tom  ?  But  then 
you  can't  be  too  careful,  and  there  is  nothing  like 
the  lead.  We  only  draw  eight  feet  and  a  half  with 
the  centre-board  down,  and  only  three  and  a  half 
with  it  up  :  so  we  have  little  to  fear  yet.  Keep  cast- 
ing, Rob  ! " 

Hi  >i;.  —  By  the  deep,  four  ! 

"There,  you  see  Tom,  we  have  already  com- 
menced to  shoal  our  water.". 

Bon.  —  And  a  quarter  less  three  ! 

"  Still  shoaling,  and  pretty  fast  too." 

Bon.  —  And  by  the  mark,  two  ! 

"  We  are  getting  well  over,  Tom ;  but  we  will 
have  a  cast  or  two  more  from  Bob." 

Bon.  —  And  a  quarter  less  two  ! 

Bon.  —  And  a  half  one  ! 

"  Ready  about ! 

"  Hard  a-lee  ! 

"There,  Tom,  you  did  better  with  your  jib-sheet 
that  time,  and  did  not  try  to  haul  it  over  too  quick, 
and  before  Bob  had  trimmed  it  down  again  to  make 
her  pay  off. 


n  6  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

"  See,  Tom,  the  day  is  breaking  fast,  and  there  is 
Rouse's  Point  well  on  our  lee.  If  the  wind  holds, 
we  shall  not  have  the  slightest  difficulty  in  passing 
it  on  this  tack.  And  now,  as  we  are  going  to  make 
a  long  leg,  we  will  let  Bob  go  below  and  get  break- 
fast ready.  Do  you  think  you  can  eat  any  thing, 
Tom  ?  " 

"  Yes,  uncle,  I  think  I  can  ;  but  this  is  just  splen- 
did. But  tell,  me,  why  do  you  trim  down  the  jib 
again  on  the  same  side,  after  letting  it  go  ?  Would 
not  the  yacht  come  about  without  it?" 

"  Yes,  she  would,"  replied  Capt.  Coffin,  "  easily ; 
but  I  wanted  you  to  see  how  a  craft  should  be  put 
about  in  a  seamanlike  manner,  and  how  she  would 
have  to  be  put  about  in  heavy  weather.  It  is  well 
to  know  how  to  do  a  thing  well,  and  what  will  be 
necessary  in  times  of  emergency." 

"  Thank  you,  uncle  :  I  shall  remember.  Is  it  not 
a  lovely  morning,  and  how  nicely  we  are  slipping 
along  !  I  think  I  could  eat  a  piece  of  whale's 
blubber,  I  am  so  hungry." 

"Are  you,  Tom?  Well,  so  am  I.  But  here 
comes  Bob  up  the  companion-way,  to  say  that 
breakfast  is  ready. 

"  Now,  Bob,  keep  her  full  and  by ;  and,  if  she 
breaks  off  any,  call  me  at  once,  for  we  shall  have  to 
go  about  again. 

"  Let's  get  below,  Tom,  and  get  our  breakfast ; 
for  I  must  not  be  long  below  till  we  get  well  out- 
side. 


A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop  -  Yacht.     \  i  7 

"Is  this  not  a  snug  little  cabin?  and  haven't  I 
got  things  hand}-  around  me?  I  like  to  have  things 
where  I  can  put  my  hand  upon  them  quickly. 

"  If  you  have  finished,  we  will  go  on  deck  again. 

"  Well,  Bob,  has  she  held  her  course  ?  " 

"  I  don't  believe  she  has  changed  it  a  pint, 
Opt.  Coffin." 

"  Well,  go  below  and  get  your  breakfast,  ancl 
clear  things  up.  We  will  look  out  for  her.  In  an 
hour  or  two  we  shall  be  out  in  the  sound  all  clear." 

"  See,  uncle,  how  we  have  gained  upon  that  fish- 
ing-schooner !  Are  we  not  going  to  pass  too  near 
him?  He  evidently  is  beating  out  as  well  as  we." 

"You  are  right,  Tom.  If  we  should  keep  on, 
there  would  be  a  collision ;  but  as  we  are  on  the 
port-tack,  and  the  fishing-schooner  on  the  starboard- 
tack,  and  both  of  us  close-hauled,  he  has  the  right 
of  way  ;  and  it  is  therefore  for  that  reason  that  I 
gracefully  ease  off  the  main-sheet,  as  you  see,  and 
keep  her  off,  so  as  to  pass  under  his  stern,  whilst  he 
passes  saucily  on  his  course  and  to  windward.  But 
it  is  his  right,  and  we  must  not  hesitate.  When  we 
are  on  the  starboard-tack,  we  will  demand  our  rights 
just  as  strongly." 

"  I  am  afraid  after  all,  uncle  Charley,  that  it  is 
going  to  be  rough;  is  it  not?  The  day  is  not  as 
pleasant  as  it  was  an  hour  ago,  and  it  seems  kind 
of  overcast  and  cloudy  to  windward." 

"  Yes,  Tom  :  the  weather  does  look  a  little  dirty 


n8  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

to  windward,  but  nothing  to  speak  of;  but,  as  you 
started  to  see  some  fun,  I  hope  that  you  will  see  it." 

"  How  far  do  you  call  us  now  from  the  land  ?  " 

"Well,  I  should  say  that  we  were  a  good  ten 
miles  from  the  southern  light.  I  can  tell  you 
exactly  by  cross-bearings,  if  you  really  want  to 
know  very  much." 

"  No,  uncle,  I  do  not  care  enough  to  give  you 
that  trouble ;  and,  besides,  I  only  wanted  to  know 
about  how  far  off  you  estimated  it.  We  must  be 
going  through  the  water  pretty  fast,  as  she  is  well 
heeled  over." 

"Yes,  she  is  jumping  along  now,  and  the  wind 
and  sea  are  both  getting  up  fast.  I  think  that  I 
shall  take  in  a  reef. 

"  Never  be  ashamed,  Tom,  of  reefing  early  :  it  is 
a  simple  matter  if  undertaken  in  time  ;  but,  if  neg- 
lected too  long,  is  a  difficult,  and  at  times  a  dan- 
gerous job. 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  and  Bob  get  hold  of  that 
tender,  and  draw  her  up  on  the  lee-side,  and  get 
her  aboard  forward,  where  she  belongs,  and  lash 
her  down.  Don't  get  overboard  ! 

"  Be  careful  of  the  rail,  Bob :  don't  chafe  it. 
Now  lash  her  down  snug,  and,  as  soon  as  you  are 
ready,  man  the  jib-halliards  and  downhaul.  All 
ready?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  " 

"Then  let  go  the  jib  halliards.     Down  with  it, 


A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop -Yacht.      119 

Bob  !  —  Lend  a  hand  on  the  downhaul,  Tom  ! 
There,  that  will  do  !  Make  fast ! 

"  Stand  by  the  throat  and  peak  halliards  !  lower 
away  !  That  will  do.  Well  of  all.  Belay  !  Come, 
lay  aft  here,  and  bowse  out  on  this  reef-pennant ! 
That  will  do  !  Lay  out  on  the  boom,  Bob,  and  pass 
this  earing  !  All  fast?" 

"  All  fast,  sir." 

"  Then  come  in  and  get  another  earing  for  the 
luff,  Bob,  and  hurry  up  ! 

"  That's  the  talk  ;  make  fast !  Now  tackle  the 
reef-points,  and  knot  as  fast  as  you  can.  Now  lay 
forward,  and  off  with  the  bonnet,  off  the  jib  !  And 
sing  out  when  you  are  ready. 

"  Now  lay  aft,  and  hoist  up  the  mainsail !  That 
will  do.  Belay  !  Now  up  with  the  jib  ! 

"  There,  off  we  go  upon  our  course  again.  Do  you 
see  how  much  better  she  stands  up  to  it,  Tom  ?  and 
how  much  better  weather  we  are  making?  I  don't 
like  the  looks  of  things  to  windward,  however  ;  and 
I  guess  that  we  will  square  away  for  a  harbor  that 
I  know  on  the  other  side  of  the  sound,  unless  you 
would  like  to  heave  to  out  here,  and  ride  it  out. 
But  we  should  make  nothing  by  that,  and  we  may 
as  well  get  in  smoother  water  as  to  jump  about 
here  ;  for  it  is  coming  on  to  blow  fresh,  if  I  know 
any  thing  about  weather.  My  barometer  is  falling 
too,  which  is  also  a  warning  sign. 

"  Here  comes  an  extra  puff,  rather  more  than  we 


I2O  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

can  stand  even  with  this  reef  in  ;  but  you  see,  by 
shaking  her  up  into  the  wind,  I  have  allowed  all  its 
force  to  pass  us  without  damage. 

"  Well,  I  think  that  we  have  had  enough  of  this  : 
it  is  cold,  and  the  water  that  we  are  taking  on 
board  will  soon  chill  us  more.  Here  goes  for 
squaring  away  before  it ! 

"  Stand  by  the  main-sheet  and  jib-halliards  ! 

"  Ease  away  on  the  main-sheet,  Tom  !  hand- 
somely !  Keep  a  good  turn  !  Don't  let  it  get 
away  with  you.  That  will  do  !  —  Ease  off  the  jib- 
sheet,  Bob  !  Make  fast !  " 

"  All  fast,  sir  !  " 

"  Why,  uncle  Charley,  what  a  change  !  I  should 
think  there  was  scarcely  any  wind  at  all." 

"  Yes,  that  is  a  most  common  impression  when 
a  craft  is  kept  off  before  the  wind  after  pounding 
into  it ;  but  you  should  not  be  deceived.  Now  is 
the  time  that  you  must  pay  great  attention  to  the 
helm  ;  for  the  waves  lift  the  stern  so  far  out  of  the 
water,  that  the  rudder  acts,  as  you  see,  in  an  irreg- 
ular and  unequal  manner,  causing  me  to  meet  her 
as  she  yaws  with  a  quick  movement  of  the  helm. 
I  don't  like  the  looks  of  the  weather  at  all. 

"  Look  out  !  Hold  on,  everybody  !  There, 
that  sea  has  pooped  us,  and  we  are  all  afloat !  This 
will  never  do. 

"  Stand  by  to  haul  aft  the  main-sheet  !  We 
must  shake  out  this  reef,  Bob,  if  it  is  blowing  fresh, 


A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop -Yacht.      121 

so  as  to  go  faster  before  the  wind,  and  not  get 
pooped  again." 

[The  reef  is  shaken  out,  and  the  yacht  again 
kept  away.] 

"  There,  Tom  !  see  how  she  runs  away  from 
those  large  seas,  now  !  No  more  danger  of  their 
coming  on  board  again. 

"  You  see,  the  tide  was  against  us,  and  the  wind 
astern  ;  and  the  '  Nancy  '  moved  too  slowly  forward 
to  escape  those  big  fellows.  This  is  one  of  the 
times  that  it  is  good  seamanship  to  clap  on  more 
sail,  although  the  sea  is  getting  up.  If  we  should 
haul  on  a  wind  now,  we  should  need  two  reefs  in ; 
but,  running  before  it,  she  is  doing  very  well. 

"  There  is  the  headland  that  we  shall  have  to 
leave  on  the  port-side.  Do  you  see  it,  Tom  ?  We 
shall  have  to  jibe  before  we  can  run  in,  and  that  is 
a  manoeuvre  that  must  be  nicely  executed  in  such  a 
sea-way  as  this.  But  we  shall  execute  it  all  right, 
as  you  shall  see. 

"  Lay  aft  here,  Bob,  and  stand  by  the  peak-hall- 
iards !  Let  go  !  That  will  do.  Belay  !  Now 
clap  on  this  main-sheet,  and  get  it  aft,  steadily. 
Round  it  in  ! 

"  Keep  a  good  turn  at  the  cleat  !  Don't  let  the 
boom  get  away  with  you  !  Now  slack  the  lee  jib- 
sheet  off,  so  that  the  jib  can  work  itself.  Now 
look  out  for  the  jerk  when  the  boom  goes  over, 
and  stand  by  to  slack  the  sheet  at  once.  Hand- 


122  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

somely  done  !  Slack  away  the  main-sheet !  Be- 
lay !  There,  that  is  a  good  job  !  Up  with  the 
peak  !  Belay  ! 

"  Go  forward,  Bob,  and  stock  the  second  anchor ; 
and  bend  on  the  cable,  and  have  it  all  ready  for 
anchoring ;  for  we  shall  not  find  very  much  lee  in 
this  harbor  till  the  wind  shifts.  But  there  is  good 
holding-ground,  and  we  shall  be  all  right. 

"  As  soon  as  we  pass  that  lighthouse,  Tom,  and 
get  in  the  bight  of  the  bay  you  see  ahead  on  the 
starboard-side,  I  shall  round  her  to,  and  let  go  the 
anchors.  There  are  two  fishermen  at  anchor  there 
now.  Do  you  see  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,  uncle,  I  see  them ;  and  they  seem  to  be 
laboring  pretty  heavy." 

"  Yes.  That  is  because  they  are  loaded  deep ; 
but  we  shall  ride  like  a  bird. 

"  Haul  down  the  jib,  and  stow  it !  Lend  Bob  a 
hand,  Tom.  Now  come  aft  here  ! 

"  Stand  by  the  anchor,  Bob  !  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  " 

"  Now  you  see,  Tom,  how  I  round  her  up  under 
the  stern  of  this  fisherman,  and  bring  her  head  to 
wind. 

"  Let  go  the  anchor  !  " 

"  All  gone." 

"  Don't  check  her  too  quick,  Bob  !  Pay  out ! 
pay  out  !  Now  snub  her,  but  not  too  sharp.  Does 
she  hold?^ 

"  Yes,  sir.     She  has  brought  up." 


A  Short  Cruise  with  a  Sloop -Yacht.      123 

"  Then  let  go  the  second  anchor,  and  pay  out 
on  both.  Give  your  cables  plenty  of  scope. 
That  will  do.  Make  every  thing  fast. 

"  I  can  see  by  the  land  that  she  does  not  drag. 
But  jump  below,  Bob,  and  hand  me  up  the  hand 
lead,  that  I  may  throw  it  over  the  side,  and  see 
that  she  is  holding  all  right. 

"  There,  Tom  !  don't  she  ride  easily  ? 

"  Now  down  mainsail,  and  stow  it,  before  it  is 
slatted  to  pieces  by  the  wind,  and  lash  the  helm 
amidships.  \Ve  shall  ride  here  like  a  Mother 
Carey's  chicken. 

"  Now  let's  sound  the  pumps,  and  then  we  will 
go  below,  and  take  things  easy  till  this  wind  moder- 
ates ;  have  a  good,  nice  dinner ;  and  then  we 
will  proceed  upon  our  cruise.  Well,  Tom,  do  you 
think  you  have  smelt  salt  water,  boy?" 

"  Yes,  uncle  ;  but  I  like  it,  though,  and  the  way 
you  manage,  in  spite  of  the  elements.  We  have 
not  started  a  rope-yarn,  and  are  lying  here  as  snug 
as  a  bug  in  a  rug." 

And  thus  we  will  leave  them,  wishing  them  good 
weather,  and  a  pleasant  ending  to  their  cruise. 


124  Practical  Boat  Sailing. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

VOCABULARY   OF   SEA-TERMS   COMMONLY    IN   USE. 

ABACK.  —  A  sail  is  said  to  be  taken  aback,  when 
its  forward  surface  is  acted  upon  by  the  wind. 

ABAFT. — The  position,  towards  the  stern,  or 
hinder  part  of  the  yacht,  from  any  stated  point ;  as, 
"abaft  the  forecastle,"  "abaft  the  mainmast," 
"  abaft  the  cabin." 

ABEAM.  —  Any  object  is  said  to  be  abeam  that 
bears  at  right  angles  to  the  line  of  the  keel ;  and  an 
imaginary  line  drawn  at  right  angles  across  the  keel, 
equidistant  from  the  bow  and  stern,  divides  the 
yacht  into  two  parts.  Any  thing  bearing  forward  of 
this  line  is  said  to  be  "  forward  of  the  beam,"  and 
any  thing  bearing  behind  this  line  is  said  to  be 
"  abaft  the  beam." 

ABOARD.  —  In  the  yacht ;  as,  "  Get  the  anchor 
aboard  !  "  "  Come  aboard  !  " 

ABOUT.  —  A  yacht  is  said  to  "go  about"  when 
tacking,  the  order  to  prepare  for  which  is,  "  Ready 
about ! " 


Vocabulary  of  Sea -Terms.  125 

ABREAST.  —  Opposite  to,  as  relates  to  the  sides 
of  a  yacht ;  as,  abreast  of  a  lighthouse,  when  the 
side  of  the  yacht  is  at  right  angles  to  it,  or  nearly  so. 

ADRII-T.  —  Broken  loose  from  moorings;  or  any 
thing  rolling  about  the  decks  loose  in  a  sea-way  is 
said  to  have  broken  adrift. 

AFLOAT.  —  Clear  of  the  bottom,  sustained  by 
the  water. 

AFORE  —  That  part  of  the  yacht  nearest  to  the 
stem,  or  head. 

AFT. — Behind;  as,  '•  Stand  further  aft,"  "Haul 
aft  the  main  sheet !  "  i.e  ,  bring  the  boom  nearer  the 
line  of  the  keel 

AFTER.  —  Hinder,  as  after  sails,  such  as  the  main- 
sail, in  contra  distinction  to  forward-sails,  such  as 
the  jib. 

AGROUND  -—Not  having  water  enough  for  the 
yacht,  which  rests  on  the  ground. 

AHEAD. — Before  the  yacht;  any  thing  in  ad- 
vance of  where  the  yacht  is  being  directed. 

A-LEE.  —  The  helm  is  a-lee  when  the  tiller  is  put 
to  the  lee-side  ;  "  hard  a  lee,"  when  it  is  put  over 
as  far  as  it  will  go." 

AM.  ix  THE  WIXD.  —  When  the  sails  receive  a 
portion  of  the  wind  on  both  surfaces,  and  shake  or 
wave  like  a  flag. 

ALL  HANDS,  AHOY.  —  A  summons  used  to  call 
all  the  crew  on  deck  in  an  emergency. 

ALOFT.  —  Up  above,  at  the  masthead. 


126  Practical  Boat- Sailing. 

ALONGSIDE.  —  Close  to  the  side  of  the  yacht. 

AMIDSHIPS.  —  Any  thing  in  a  line  with  the  keel  ; 
viz.,  "  Put  the  helm  amidships  !  " 

To  ANCHOR.  —  To  let  the  anchor  fall  overboard 
that  it  may  hold  the  yacht ;  the  order  for  which  is 
"  Let  go  the  anchor  !  " 

ANCHORAGE.  —  Ground  fit  to  anchor  on. 

To  WEIGH  THE  ANCHOR.  —  To  heave  it  up  from 
the  bottom  to  the  bow  of  the  yacht. 

ASHORE.  —  On  land,  aground. 

ASTERN.  —  Behind  the  yacht. 

ATHWART.  —  Across. 

ATHWART-SHIPS.  —  Any  thing  lying  at  right  angles 
to  the  line  of  the  keel,  or  nearly  so. 

AVAST.  —  To  cease  pulling,  to  stop. 

A-WEATHER  —  The  helm  is  said  to  be  a-weather 
when  the  tiller  is  put  over  to  the  windward  side  of 
the  yacht ;  and  "  hard  a-weather,"  when  it  is  put 
over  as  far  as  it  will  go. 

AWNING.  —  A  canvas  covering  stretched  overhead, 
to  give  protection  from  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

BACK-STAYS.  —  Ropes  fixed  at  the  topmasthead, 
and  fastened  to  the  sides  of  the  yacht  to  sustain 
the  topmast. 

BALLAST.  —  A  quantity  of  heavy  material  placed 
in  the  hold  of  the  yacht  to  give  her  proper  stability. 

BANDS.  —  Pieces  of  canvas  sewn  across  a  sail  to 
strengthen  it  to  sustain  the  reef-points,  and  called 
reef-bands. 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  127 

BAR.  —  A  shoal,  usually  found  at  the  mouths  of 
rivers  and  harbors  that  are  subject  to  much  current. 

BARE  POLES.  —  Having  no  sail  up,  on  account 
of  the  severity  of  the  wind :  hence  "  scudding 
under  bare  poles,"  that  is,  running  before  the  wind 
with  no  sail  set. 

BEAMS.  —  Pieces  of  timber  across  the  yacht  under 
the  decks,  bound  to  the  sides  by  knees.  A  yacht 
is  said  to  be  on  her  "  beam-ends  "  when  she  is  hove 
down  by  any  force,  so  that  the  ends  of  the  beams 
point  towards  the  ground. 

FORWARD  OF  THE  BEAM.  —  When  the  object  or 
wind  is  at  some  position  between  abeam  and  ahead. 

BEFORE  THE  BEAM.  —  When  the  wind  or  object 
bears  on  some  point  forward  of  the  beam,  but  with- 
in the  right  angle  formed  by  the  keel  and  a  line 
across  the  middle  of  the  yacht. 

ABAFT  THE  BEAM.  —  The  opposite  to  Before  the 
Beam. 

BEARINGS.  —  The  direction  of  any  object  by  ob- 
servation of  the  compass ;  also  to  any  object,  as 
the  lighthouse  bears  abaft  the  beam. 

BEATING  TO  WINDWARD.  —  Advancing  in  the  di- 
rection from  which  the  wind  proceeds  by  a  series 
of  manoeuvres  called  "  tacking." 

BECALMED.  —  Having  no  wind  to  fill  the  sails. 
One  sail  is  also  said  to  becalm  another  when  the 
wind  is  aft. 

BELAY.  —  To  make  fast  a  rope  around  a  cleat  or 
pin. 


128  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

To  BEND.  —  To  fasten-;  as  to  bend  the  sails,  bend 
on  the  cable  to  the  anchor,  bend  on  the  colors, 
&c. 

BIGHT.  —  Any  slack  part  of  a  rope  between  the 
ends. 

BILGE.  —  The  flat  part  of  a  yacht's  bottom,  where 
the  water  that  she  ships,  or  which  leaks  in,  remains, 
and  is  called  "  bilge-water." 

BINNACLE.  —  A  box,  fitted  with  lights,  which 
contains  the  steering- compass. 

BERTH.  — An  anchorage ;  a  bunk  or  wooden  shelf 
used  for  sleeping  in. 

Birrs.  —  Large,  upright  pieces  of  timber,  with  a 
cross-piece,  to  which  hawsers  or  large  ropes  are 
belayed ;  also  called  "  knight-heads." 

BLOCKS.  —  Instruments,  with  sheaves  or  pulleys, 
used  to  increase  the  power  of  ropes. 

BLOCK  AND  BLOCK  (also  called  commonly  "  chock- 
a-block  ").  —  When  the  two  blocks  of  a  tackle  have 
been  brought  as  near  together  as  possible. 

To  MAKE  A  BOARD.  —  To  tack. 

To  MAKE  A  STERN-BOARD.  —  To  move  through 
the  water  stern  foremost. 

BOB-STAYS.  —  Ropes  from  the  cut-water,  or  stem, 
to  the  bowsprit  end,  to  sustain  and  strengthen  it. 

BOLT- ROPES.  —  Ropes  sewn  round  the  edges  of 
the  sails,  to  keep  them  from  splitting. 

BOOMS.  —  Round  pieces  of  timber  on  which  the 
foot  of  sails  are  lashed. 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  129 

Bows.  —  The  round  part  of  the  yacht  forward, 
ending  in  the  cut-water,  or  stem. 

To  BOUSE.  —  To  haul  upon. 

BOWSPRIT.  —  A  spar  nearly  parallel  with  the  deck, 
extending  out  over  the  stem. 

To  BRING  UP.  —  To  take  the  bottom  suddenly, 
as  brought  up  by  a  shoal ;  to  come  to  an  anchor. 

To  BRING  To.  —  To  make  the  yacht  nearly  sta- 
tionary by  stopping  her  headway  by  means  of  the 
sails  set  in  different  positions,  so  as  to  counterpoise 
each  other  in  connection  with  the  helm. 

BUTT  END.  —  The  end  of  a  plank  in  a  yacht's 
side  ;  to  start  a  butt,  i.e.,  to  leak. 

BY  THE  BOARD. — A  mast  is  said  to  go  by  the 
board  when  carried  away  just  above  the  deck. 

BY  THE  HEAD.  —  When  a  yacht  is  deeper  in 
the  water  forward  than  aft. 

BY  THE  STERN.  —  The  reverse  of  "  by  the  head." 

BY  THE  WIND.  —  When  a  yacht  is  as  near  the 
wind  as  she  can  be  sailed  without  the  sails  shaking ; 
also  called  "  full  and  by." 

CABLE.  —  The  rope  by  which  the  yacht  is  secured 
to  the  anchor. 

To  PAY  OUT  THE  CABLE.  —  To  allow  more  of  it 
to  pass  outboard,  so  that  the  yacht  lies  farther  from 
the  anchor. 

CABOOSE.  —  Place  where  the  food  is  cooked ;  also 
called  the  "  cook's  galley." 

CALL.  —  A  silver  whistle  used  by  the  boatswain 
to  have  certain  orders  obeyed. 


130  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

CAPSIZE.  —  To  turn  over. 

To  CARRY  AWAY.  —  A  spar  is  said  to  be  carried 
away  when  it  is  broken  by  the  wind. 

To  CAST  OFF.  —  To  untie,  to  allow  to  go  free ; 
viz.,  "  Cast  off  the  main-sheet !  "  "  Cast  off  that 
boat's  painter  !  " 

CASTING.  —  To  pay  a  yacht  off  on  the  desired 
tack  when  weighing  the  anchor,  by  arranging  the 
sails  so  as  to  be  taken  aback. 

CAT  BOAT- RIG.  —  A  yacht  rigged  with  one  mast 
placed  chock  forward  in  the  eyes,  and  without  stays 
or  bowsprit,  and  fitted  with  one  fore-and-aft  sail. 

CAT'S-PAW.  —  A  light  breeze  or  puff  of  air  seen 
upon  the  water. 

To  CALK.  —  To  drive  oakum  or  cotton  into  the 
seams  to  prevent  leaking,  and  to  "  pay  "  the  same 
with  pitch  or  tar. 

CENTRE-BOARD.  —  A  movable  keel  that  can  be 
lowered  or  hoisted  at  pleasure. 

To  CLAW  OFF.  —  To  beat  to  windward  from  off 
a  lee-shore. 

CLEAT.  —  A  piece  of  wood  with  two  horns,  fast- 
ened to  the  side  of  the  yacht  or  to  the  mast,  upon 
which  ropes  are  made  fast. 

CLEWS.  —  The  corners  of  sails. 

CLOSE-HAULED. — To  sail  as  near  the  wind  as 
possible. 

COILING.  —  To  gather  up  a  rope  into  a  circular 
form  ready  for  running  out  again  at  a  moment's 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  131 

notice  ;  such  as,  "  Coil  up  the  peak-halliards,  and 
have  them  ready  for  running  !  " 

COURSE.  —  The  point  of  the  compass  on  which 
the  yacht  sails. 

CROSS  -  BEARINGS.  —  The  finding  of  the  exact 
position  of  the  yacht  upon  the  chart  by  taking  the 
bearings  by  compass  of  two  objects  on  shore. 

CROTCH.  —  Two  crossed  pieces  of  wood  in  which 
the  main  boom  is  lashed,  when  the  yacht  is  at  an- 
chor or  the  sail  furled,  to  confine  it  in  place. 

To  CUN.  — To  direct  the  helmsman  how  to  steer. 

Cur- WATER.  —  The  timber  forming  the  entrance 
of  the  yacht. 

BOAT- DAVITS.  —  Pieces  of  strong,  bent  iron  stand- 
ing out  over  the  side  to  hoist  boats  up  to,  and  secure 
them. 

DOWXHAUL. —  A  rope  used  to  pull  down  the  jib, 
&c. 

DRAUGHT.  —  Depth  of  water.  Thus  it  is  said  of 
a  yacht  that  her  draught  is  three  feet;  i.e.,  she 
draws  three  feet  of  water. 

DRIFT.  —  To  drive  to  leeward ;  to  lose  steer- 
age way  for  want  of  wind. 

EARINGS.  —  Small  ropes  used  for  lashings. 

EASE  OFF.  —  To  slacken. 

EASE  OFF  HANDSOMELY. — To  slacken  very  care- 
fully. 

END  FOR  END. — To  change  a  rope  that  has 
been  worn,  and  use  one  part  where  the  other  u  as 
formerly  used. 


132  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

END  ON.  —  To  advance  bow  or  stern  on,  or  to 
have  another  vessel  approach  in  a  similar  manner. 

ENSIGN.  —  The  national  flag,  carried  always  at 
the  gaff-end. 

FAG-END.  —  The  end  of  a  rope  which  is  frayed. 

FALLING  OFF.  —  When  a  yacht  moves  from  the 
wind  farther  than  she  ought. 

FATHOM.  —  A  measurement  six  feet  in  length. 

FID.  —  A  tapered  piece  of  wood  used  to  splice 
ropes  with,  and,  when  made  of  iron,  called  a  "  mar- 
line-spike." 

To  FILL.  —  To  have  the  wind  strike  the  inner  or 
after  surfaces  of  the  sails. 

FLAKE.  —  One  circle  of  a  coil  of  rope. 

FLUKES.  —  The  broad  spade-like  parts  of  an 
anchor. 

FORE.  —  That  part  of  the  yacht  nearest  to  the 
head. 

FORE  AND  AFT.  —  In  the  direction  of  the  keel ; 
also  vessels  without  square  yards.  Hence  a  schoon- 
er is  often  called  a  "  fore-and-after ;  "  and  a  ship,  a 
"square-rigger." 

FOUL  HAWSE.  —  When  the  cables  are  twisted. 

To  FOUL. — To  entangle  a  rope;  as,  "The  jib- 
halliards  are  foul.  To  run  foul  of  a  yacht  is  to 
come  in  collision  with  another. 

To  FOUNDER. — To  sink. 

FURLING.  —  Making  the  sails  fast  to  the  booms 
and  spars,  and  stowing  them,  by  means  of  gaskets. 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  133 

GAFF.  —  The  spar  that  supports  the  head  of  a 
fore-and-aft  sail. 

GANGWAY.  —  The  place  where  persons  come  on 
board. 

GASKET.  —  A  piece  of  rope  or  narrow  canvas 
used  to  tie  up  sails  with,  or  lash  any  thing. 

To  Go  ABOUT.  —  To  tack. 

GORING.  —  Cutting  a  sail  obliquely. 

GRANNY-KNOT.  —  A  foul  knot,  —  one  not  tied  in 
a  proper  manner. 

GRIPING. — When  a  yacht  carries  too  great  a 
weather- helm. 

HALLIARDS.  —  Ropes  or  pulleys  to  hoist  up  sails. 

HANDS. — The  crew;  i.e.,  "Send  a  hand  aft 
here  !  "  "  All  hands,"  all  the  crew.  To  "  hand  a 
sail,"  to  furl  it.  "  Bear  a  hand,"  hurry  up  to  help. 
Hand  lead,  instrument  used  for  sounding. 

HANDSOMELY.  —  Carefully. 

HANKS.  —  Oval  rings,  fitted  to  work  upon  stays, 
to  which  the  sail  is  lashed  to  be  hoisted  or  lowered. 

HATCHWAY.  —  A  square  hole  in  the  deck  that 
communicates  with  the  hold. 

To  HAUL.  — To  pull. 

To  HAIL.  —  To  call  out  to  another  ship ;  such 
as  "  What  ship  is  that?  " 

To  HEEL.  —  To  incline  to  one  side;  i.e.,  she 
heels  over  too  much  on  account  of  a  want  of  bal- 
last. 

HKLM.  —  A  tiller  or  wheel  which  controls  the 
rudder. 


134  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

To  HAUL  HOME.  —  To  pull  the  clew  of  any  sail 
as  far  as  it  will  go. 

Too  HIGH.  —  The  warning  given  to  the  helms- 
man when  the  yacht  is  too  near  the  wind. 

To  HITCH.  —  To  make  fast. 

THE  HOLD.  —  The  space  under  deck. 

HULL. — The  body  of  a  yacht. 

"  IN  IRONS."  —  A  yacht  is  said  to  be  "  in  irons  " 
when  she  has  lost  steerage  way  from  any  cause,  and 
will  not  obey  the  helm. 

JACK-STAY.  —  A  small  bar  of  iron,  or  slat  of  wood, 
fastened  to  a  spar,  and  to  which  the  sail  is  bent. 

To  JAM.  —  A  knot  is  said  to  be  jammed  when  it 
cannot  be  untied. 

JUNK.  —  Old  pieces  of  rope,  canvas,  &c. 

JURY-MASTS.  —  Temporary  masts  used  when 
others  are  carried  away. 

JIBING. — The  act  of  passing  the  main  boom 
from  one  side  of  the  yacht  to  the  other,  whilst  run- 
ning before  the  wind. 

KEEL.  —  That  part  of  the  yacht  lowest  in  the 
water,  and  upon  which  all  her  superstructure  is 
erected. 

KINK.  —  A  twist  or  turn  in  the  rope. 

To  LABOR. — A  yacht  is  said  to  labor  when  she 
pitches  and  rolls  heavily  in  a  sea-way. 

LAND- FALL.  —  Discovering  the  land. 

LARBOARD.  —  The  left  side  of  the  yacht,  facing 
forward,  now  almost  obsolete,  port  having  almost 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  135 

wholly  taken  its  place ;  larboard  having  been 
found  in  practice  to  be  too  near  in  sound  to  its 
opposite  starboard. 

LAY  AFT.  —  The  command  to  come  aft.  "Lay 
aloft,"  to  go  up  the  rigging.  "  Lay  out,"  to  go  out, 
on  the  bowsprit,  for  instance.  "  Lay  in,"  to  come 
in." 

LEACH. — The  perpendicular  border  of  a  fore- 
and-aft  sail. 

LEE- LURCH.  —  When  the  yacht  rolls  heavily  and 
suddenly  to  leeward. 

LEE-SHORE. — The  coast-line  to  leeward  of  the 
yacht,  on  which  the  wind  is  blowing. 

LEEWARD. — The  direction  towards  which  the 
wind  is  blowing. 

LONG  LEG.  —  A  term  used  when  the  wind  is  not 
dead  ahead,  but  so  as  to  cause  the  yacht  to  make  a 
long  tack  and  a  short  one.  Hence,  to  make  "  a  long 
leg,"  and  a  short  leg. 

LOG.  —  The  record  of  the  yacht's  performance 
each  day  of  twenty-four  hours,  as  concerns  weather, 
courses,  &c.,  kept  in  a  log-book.  "  Heaving  the 
log,"  to  ascertain  the  speed  by  means  of  a  log- 
line. 

LOOMING. — The  appearance  of  a  distant  object, 
such  as  another  vessel,  or  the  land,  especially  in 
foggy  or  misty  weather,  when  it  is  said  to  loom,  i.e., 
look  larger,  and  appear  nearer,  than  it  really  is. 

LUBBER.  —  A  person  who  is  not  a  sailor,  —  a 
greenhorn. 


136  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

LUFF.  —  An  order  to  have  the  helmsman  put  the 
helm  to  leeward  ;  the  forward  part  of  a  fore-and-aft 
sail  attached  to  the  mast  by  hoops. 

LYING  To.  —  Bringing  the  yacht  to  the  wind 
under  small  sail,  and  lashing  the  helm  a-lee,  so  that 
she  may  lie  safely,  and  ride  out  the  storm. 

To  MOOR.  —  To  secure  the  yacht  by  more  than 
one  anchor. 

MOORINGS.  —  The  place  where  the  yacht  is  gen- 
erally kept  when  in  harbor,  and  denoted  by  a  buoy, 
which  watches  over  them. 

NEAP-TIDES. — Those  tides  which  occur  when 
the  moon  is  in  her  quarters  ;  spring-tides  being 
much  higher,  and  occurring  at  the  full  and  change. 

Too  NEAR.  —  A  warning  to  the  helmsman  that 
the  sails  are  not  quite  full,  and  that  he  is  steering  a 
little  too  near  the  wind. 

MAIN  CHAINS.  —  Place  on  the  yacht's  side  where 
the  shrouds  and  backstays  are  fastened. 

MISS-STAYS.  —  The  act  of  failing  to  "go  about" 
on  the  other  tack. 

MODEL.  —  The  shape  and  form  of  the  hull. 

OFF  AND  ON. — Approaching  the  land  on  one 
tack,  and  leaving  it  on  the  other. 

OFFING.  —  Out  to  sea,  clear  of  all  dangers,  yet 
near  the  land  ;  sea-room. 

OVERBOARD.  —  Out  of  the  yacht ;  in  the  water. 

OVERHAULING.  — To  haul  a  rope  through  a  block  ; 
to  examine  any  thing  thoroughly ;  to  gain  upon  a 
vessel  or  object  ahead. 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  137 

PAINTER.  —  A  short  rope  in  the  bows  of  a  boat 
by  which  she  is  secured. 

To  TART. — To  tear  asunder ;  i.e.,  the  cable  has 
parted  ;  the  main-sheet  has  parted. 

To  PASS  A  LASHING.  —  To  wind  a  rope  round  a 
spar  or  sail. 

PAY.  —  To  rub  on  pitch  or  tar  with  a  large  brush. 

To  PAY  OFF.  — To  make  a  yacht's  head  recede 
from  the  wind  by  hauling  the  jib  to  windward,  and 
easing  off  the  main-boom  to  leeward. 

To  PEAK  UP.  —  To  elevate  the  outer  or  after  end 
of  a  gaff,  so  that  the  sail  may  set  better. 

PLYING. — Turning  to  windward. 

POOPING.  —  A  yacht  is  said  to  be  pooped  when 
she  is  struck  by  a  sea  that  comes  on  board  over 
the  stern  or  quarter. 

PORT.  —  See  larboard. 

I'KI.VKNTER.  —  Any  thing  to  secure  cr  take  off  the 
strain,  as  preventer  jib-sheet. 

PENNANT.  —  A  long  narrow  flag. 

QUARTER.  —  That  part  of  the  yacht's  side  con- 
tained between  the  beam  and  stern. 

RAKE.  —  The  sheer  of  masts  from  the  perpendic- 
ular. 

RANGE  OF  CABLE.  —  A  sufficient  length  over- 
hauled and  ready  so  as  to  allow  the  anchor  to  reach 
the  bottom  without  fouling. 

To  RI.KI.  —  To  reduce  a  sail  by  fastening  it  down 
to  a  boom  or  jack-stay  by  means  of  reef-points. 


138  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

To  REEVE.  — To  pass  a  rope  through  a  block. 

To  RIDE.  —  To  be  held  at  anchor. 

To  RIGHT.  —  A  yacht  is  said  to  right  when  she 
rises  to  an  upright  position  again,  after  having  been 
thrown  on  her  beam-ends  by  a  sudden  squall. 

To  RIGHT  THE  HELM.  —  To  put  it  amidships,  so 
that  the  rudder  will  be  in  a  line  with  the  keel. 

To  RUN  DOWN.  —  When  one  yacht  sinks  another 
by  running  over  her. 

SCANT.  —  The  wind  is  said  to  be  scant  when  a 
yacht  will  barely  lay  her  course. 

SCOPE.  —  To  pay  out  more  of  the  cable  when  at 
anchor. 

To  SCUD.  —  To  run  before  the  wind  in  a  storm. 

To  SCUTTLE.  —  To  make  holes  in  a  yacht's  bot- 
tom to  sink  her. 

To  SERVE.  —  To  wind  any  thing  round  a  rope  so 
as  to  save  it  from  chafing. 

To  SEIZE.  —  To  make  fast  or  bind. 

To  SHEER.  —  To  vary  to  the  right  and  left  from 
a  direct  course. 

To  SHIP.  —  To  place  or  receive  any  thing  on 
board ;  as,  to  ship  a  sea,  to  ship  a  crew. 

To  SHIVER.  —  To  make  the  sails  shake  in  the 
wind's  eye. 

SHOAL.  —  The  land  beneath  the  water  that  ap- 
proaches near  the  surface,  or  is  left  bare  at  low 
water. 

THE  SLACK  OF  A  ROPE.  —  The  part  that  hangs 
loose. 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  139 

To  SLIP  A  CABLE.  —  To  let  it  run  out  overboard, 
and  release  the  yacht  from  the  anchor,  being  first 
generally  buoyed  so  as  to  be  recovered. 

To  SLUE.  —  To  turn  any  thing  about. 

SNUB. —  Used  in  reference  to  the  cables,  in 
checking  the  yacht,  after  they  have  been  paid 
out. 

To  SOUND.  —  To  ascertain  the  depth  of  water  by 
means  of  a  lead-line. 

To  TAKE  A  SPELL.  —  To  relieve  any  one  at  any 
duty ;  as,  to  take  a  spell  at  the  wheel. 

To  SPILL.  —  To  take  the  wind  out  of  a  sail  by 
easing  off  the  sheets  or  otherwise,  so  as  to  remove 
the  pressure  of  the  wind. 

To  SPLICE.  —  To  join  two  ropes  together  by  in- 
terweaving the  strands. 

To  SPRING  A  MAST. — To  crack  or  split  it. 

A  SPRING.  —  A  rope  made  fast  to  the  cable,  and 
taken  on  board  aft,  in  order  to  haul  the  yacht's  side 
in  any  direction. 

SPRING-TIDES.  —  The  highest  tides,  which  occur 
at  the  full  and  change  of  the  moon. 

To  STAND  ON.  —  To  keep  on  in  one's  course. 

To  STAND  BY.  —  To  be  ready. 

STARBOARD.  —  The  right  side  of  a  yacht,  the  ob- 
server looking  from  aft  forward. 

To  STEER.  —  To  control  the  yacht  with  the  rud- 
der and  tiller. 

STRANDED.  — A  yacht  is  said  to  be  stranded  when 
she  is  so  far  on  shore  that  she  cannot  be  floated. 


140  Practical  Boat- Sailing. 

To  STRIKE.  —  To  beat  against  the  bottom;  to 
hit  suddenly  any  object  below  the  surface  of  the 
water. 

SWIG  OFF.  —  To  take  a  turn  with  a  rope  at  a  cleat, 
and  then  pull  upon  it  laterally,  so  as  to  gather  in  all 
the  slack. 

To  TACK.  —  To  advance  by  a  series  of  angles 
toward  the  direction  from  which  the  wind  pro- 
ceeds. 

TAUT.  — Tight. 

TAUNT.  —  Long,  lofty. 

TENDER.  —  A  small  boat  or  wherry  used  to  pass 
from  the  yacht  to  the  shore. 

To  Tow.  —  To  drag  any  thing  astern  behind  the 
yacht ;  as,-  to  tow  the  tender. 

TRUCK.  —  The  small  ball  at  the  topmasthead, 
through  which  the  signal-halliards  reeve. 

TROUGH  OF  THE  SEA.  —  The  level  of  the  water 
between  two  waves. 

TURNING  TO  WINDWARD.  —  Tacking. 

UNBEND.  —  To  cast  off,  to  release  ;  as,  "  Unbend 
the  anchor  from  the  cable  !  "  "  Unbend  the  main- 
sail !  "  —  roll  it  up  and  put  it  below. 

To  UNSHIP.  —  To  take  any  thing  from  the  place 
where  it  was  fixed ;  as,  to  "  unship  the  rudder." 

WAKE.  —  The  track,  or  furrow,  left  by  the  yacht 
on  the  water  she  has  passed  over. 

To  WEAR.  —  To  turn  a  yacht  round  from  the 
wind,  —  the  direct  opposite  of  tacking. 


Vocabulary  of  Sea-Terms.  141 

To  WARP.  -  -  To  move  a  yacht  by  hawsers. 

WATCH. —  A  division  of  the  crew  into  starboard 
and  larboard  watch,  who  take  turns  in  taking  care 
of  the  yacht. 

WATER-LOGGED. — The  condition  of  a  yacht 
when  she  is  so  full  of  water  as  to  be  almost  unman- 
ageable, and  nearly  submerged. 

WAY.  —  Progress  through  the  water  :  "  she  has 
good  way  on."  To  a  boat's  crew,  to  cease  pulling, 
the  command  is  given,  "  Way  enough." 

To  WEATHER  A  YACHT.  —  To  get  to  the  wind- 
ward side  by  faster  speed,  or  lying  nearer  the 
wind. 

WEATHER  BEATEN.  —  Worn  by  the  weather  and 
exposure. 

WI.I.L  OF  ALL.  —  A  command  used  when  the 
several  ropes  of  a  sail  have  all  been  hauled  upon  at 
the  same  time,  and  it  is  perfectly  set,  and  means  to 
belay. 

To  WEIGH. — To  lift  an  anchor  from  the  bot- 
tom. 

WIND'S  EYE.  —  The  exact  direction  from  which 
the  wind  proceeds. 

To  WINDWARD. — Towards  that  point  from  which 
the  wind  blows. 

To  WORK  TO  WINDWARD. — To  tack  so  as  to 
make  progress  in  the  direction  from  which  the  wind 
blows. 


142  Practical  Boat-Sailing. 

YACHT.  —  A  vessel  used  for  pleasure  only,  and 
not  for  commerce  or  trade ;  built  for  speed  and 
comfort. 

To  YAW.  —  To  swerve  suddenly  and  violently 
from  the  true  course,  in  spite  of  the  action  of  the 
rudder. 


Franklin  Press:    Rand,  Avrry,  6f  Co.,  Boston. 


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